# Entry Plan Question - Technical Diploma



## inspire09 (12 Dec 2009)

Hey There,

I originally signed up for the military about 7 years ago and decided to finish high school and get a technical diploma first. I now have a 2 year diploma from CDI Technical College and about 5 years experience working in IT with IBM and The Government of Alberta.
I have heard there are entry plans that would start you out at corporal pay from day 1, also incentives are available.
Are these entry plans hard to get accepted into? Im not sure if CDI tech would be classified as a known education facility or not... 
If anyone has been through similar situations or has some knowledge on this matter please let me know.
Thanks much.


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## Eye In The Sky (14 Dec 2009)

It may/may not qualify you for some sort of incentive.  Historically, some people have been given signing bonus's for understrength occupations *if* their education was deemed to allow them to bypass some or all training, making them employable in a MOC/trade after Basic Military Qualification training.  Others have been granted *semi-skilled* status, which had other incentives such as accelerated promotion to Cpl, bonus's, etc.

I don't know the current ones that are offering any kind of incentives, however your best bet would be to speak to a recruiter.  They would have the list of accepted programs and institutions that the CF *may* be or are using for any kind of incentive to folks off the street who are interested in joining a certain MOC.  

Note that this list is changing constantly as the needs for personnel, shortages/understrenth trades is also changing constantly.  I know a buddy who went in as an ATIS Tech with a $20k signing bonus, the next month, the trade was up in numbers and POOF went the bonus.  

A decent place to start looking for current info on incentives and understrenght trades in the CF is the CF recruiting website, try under Entry Plans for Skilled, Semi-skilled, etc.

http://www.forces.ca/html/directentry_en.aspx


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## Occam (14 Dec 2009)

CDI is not going to qualify you for any skilled or semi-skilled entry plans.


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## CBAtt (14 Dec 2009)

Why does CDI not qualify you?


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## Occam (14 Dec 2009)

CBAtt said:
			
		

> Why does CDI not qualify you?



Because it's solely an IT program, and there are no solely-IT trades in the military.  You'd need other skills, such as electronics, in order to gain semi-skilled status.


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## FDO (16 Dec 2009)

What happens is the Occupation Managers take a look at what each college/university has to offer. They take a look at what you are taught and to what level. If the college does not teach what the occupation needs or does not teach enough for what the CF needs then those courses are not accepted.

That's not say that your schooling and any job experience you have will get you nothing. We will send a PLAR to the Occupation Manager and they will decide on a case by case basis. It may get you something or it may not. 

KEY PHRASE IS THE LAST SENTENCE. READ IT TWICE!!!


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## Occam (16 Dec 2009)

FDO said:
			
		

> What happens is the Occupation Managers take a look at what each college/university has to offer. They take a look at what you are taught and to what level. If the college does not teach what the occupation needs or does not teach enough for what the CF needs then those courses are not accepted.
> 
> That's not say that your schooling and any job experience you have will get you nothing. We will send a PLAR to the Occupation Manager and they will decide on a case by case basis. It may get you something or it may not.
> 
> KEY PHRASE IS THE LAST SENTENCE. READ IT TWICE!!!



I realize you're in recruiting, but let's be realistic.

There are only six trades in the CF that deal with Information Technology (IT) in any significant detail:

ATIS Tech
LCIS Tech
Sig Op
Comm Rsch
NE Tech (primarily the Comm subtrade)
NavComm

In none of them are IT skills a large enough part of the skill set required to be considered semi-skilled in the trade.  In ATIS Tech, LCIS Tech and NE Tech, electronics training is the predominant skill required.  In Sig Op and NavComm, communications skills (operating the various comm equipment) is the predominant skill.  In Comm Rsch, one is primarily an intercept operator or analyst before even venturing into the IT world.

No level of IT training is going to grant an applicant semi-skilled status by virtue of the IT training alone.  It's just not that significant a part of the various trades that do it.  Other skills are necessary to gain semi-skilled entrant status.

That said, it's definitely worth it to have a PLAR done, as it's not out of the realm of possibility that waivers of certain *parts* of QL3 training *might* be granted.  However, nobody is going to get a complete QL3 bypass/recruiting incentive/advance promotion to Cpl or LS with simply a diploma in Information Technology.  They would be in a world of hurt the first time they're expected to perform maintenance on a radar or radio, work in a commcen or CP, direction find a signal, or send a Tactical Signal via radio or flashing light to another ship.


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## kincanucks (16 Dec 2009)

_No level of IT training is going to grant an applicant semi-skilled status by virtue of the IT training alone._

Actually at one time an IT diploma did give an applicant semi-skilled for Sig Op but that, thankfully, was discontinued.


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## FDO (16 Dec 2009)

Which part was unrealistic? I explained how a course or school is deemed  appropriate
and how we determine what advances you get if any. 

Occam you said pretty much what I did. That's why I put the last bit in capitals. An IT dilpoma is not enough to warrent Semi-Skilled but it may help with credit towards QL3 or 5. That is up to the Occupation Manager not the Recruiting Centre.


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## Occam (16 Dec 2009)

FDO said:
			
		

> Which part was unrealistic? I explained how a course or school is deemed  appropriate
> and how we determine what advances you get if any.
> 
> Occam you said pretty much what I did. That's why I put the last bit in capitals. An IT dilpoma is not enough to warrent Semi-Skilled but it may help with credit towards QL3 or 5. That is up to the Occupation Manager not the Recruiting Centre.



My apologies - I read what you had posted, and for some unknown reason I came away from it thinking you were offering faint hope for the original poster to get semi-skilled entrant status.  After re-reading it, I was clearly out to lunch.   ;D



			
				kincanucks said:
			
		

> _No level of IT training is going to grant an applicant semi-skilled status by virtue of the IT training alone._
> 
> Actually at one time an IT diploma did give an applicant semi-skilled for Sig Op but that, thankfully, was discontinued.



I'll bet that went over like a lead balloon...I wonder if any of them survived their first encounter with the field?


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