Undercover investigation: CDI College caught misleading students (Marketplace)
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- Опубліковано 1 гру 2022
- A Marketplace investigation into CDI College has uncovered a pattern of using misleading information and some questionable tactics to enroll prospective online students. Hundreds of bad reviews found online reveal students who are thousands of dollars in debt, and no further ahead in their careers. Operating undercover, we document the pressure and the misleading claims about accreditation, and reveal the real cost of dropping out.
CDI College says they’re aware of issues and are always working to improve, and say recruiters may do things the company doesn’t condone.
#CDICollege #Canada #CBCMarketplace
Read more: www.cbc.ca/1.6670199
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I just want to say this couldn't have come in a better time for me. I am literally 3 days away from having a meeting with them to apply for loans/grants. I should of looked more into them before applying but after seeing this and doing my own research on them after, I will be dropping my program with them today. Thank you.
Should have...sorry, just helping you out for future college applications
Make sure you let them know why.
same here! My meeting is tomorrow, are there other schools you recommend?
Agreed. Run as far away, I learned a couple useless programs all out of a binder. No teachers, just “instructors”. Class was filled with students in totally different courses. Basically we were all in a “class” just using the computers with a babysitter at the front. That’s it. Dropped out and still got fed out of money. DO NOT GO TO THIS SCAM
@@charlesmagno28 any community college offering your line of studies. Tuition is much cheaper and recognition is far greater.
Every student should do a class action lawsuit against them, they’re scamming you
They really should.
I am in. Is any one ready to join?
@@jiensuyang3915 I’m ready to join. My 8 month program was 20K.
@@jiensuyang3915 let’s do it
Hi Darren, i’m in . I did a program of about 30k
I studied at CDI for almost 3 years, it cost 20K. I passed the class with one of the highest grades and immediately found no one wanted to hire me. after about a year and a half of searching I finally got lucky with a company that was expanding so hard they were hiring anyone and everyone. But I found out that I was severely unprepared and nearly incapable of performing the job at all. Fast forward one burnout and 5 years of thinking I wasted my time, effort, and money, I got lucky again because my friend became a lead at his company and took pity on me. I'm doing ok now, I'm stable and able to work in the field I studied for. Make no mistake, this had NOTHING to do with CDI. After this journey, I can honestly say that I could and probably should have done this without CDI.
i am so sorry for you. i got about the same experience after i went there in 1997... it is still a scam as it was then. I am very happy you were able to get things better now!
This happens to people who finish accredited university ...In this country educational institution are really in a bad shape...Students are their cash cows nothing more than that. Shame!
@@harrymandel I agree it cost a lot now days to go to school. But I don't think the public and accredited educational intuitions do a poor job. Instead, the job market in our country has changed since what it was for our parents or generation before them. For example, the University of Calgary has updated their Engineering and Science Programs more times during the past few years than they ever did since UofC started. This is because the market is changing so fast, technology is changing so fast and schools needs to be kept up with it. When my parents graduated in the 80s with their Engineering programs, the technology they used on day 1 or their undergrad was the same if not similar to that of what is considered "cutting-edge" at that time. Now, when I graduated, even the technology and science behind things have changed. I could not find a job after graduating in Petroleum program about 6 years ago. But it is not UofC's fault. Oil industry crashed. Now the UofC removed several Petroleum classes and programs. They updated programs but in few years, not decades, they will have to update it again. SAIT and NAIT also in Alberta have updated their programs recently as well. It cost money and that get pushed down to the students. Private for-profit schools on the other hand it is all about making money in my opinion.
@@NetITGeeksAll schools are about making money. Private schools more so of course. We must chose well among them remembering that even some universities operate more or less like CDI. Pity I cannot say more but just so you don't misunderstand I am not talking about U of T or McMaster , York and such....
I can't believe I'm seeing all this now, I'm a student at CDI and I've been stuck in my practicum for 2 months and no one will accept me. This makes me so sad because after being a stay at home mom, I decided to go back and thought this was going to be a great experience.
I'm sorry you went through such a tough time.
My Mother went to CDI years ago for dental - found out after spending thousands of dollars that this college was not accredited course. This had a detrimental effect on our entire family's lifestyle. Thank you, CDI College.
Wow! I’m SO sorry. I really really thought they were legit until now. I’m in shock rn.
I'm so sorry to read your comment. I wish internet hugs from across the pond were enough to actually help, but that's all I can offer. Stay strong 💪
Dan: "Thank you, CDI College for ripping me off !!!"
CDI: "You're welcome, Dan !!!
It was a pleasure doing business with you !!!"
After spending thousands of dollars and did not realise that the college was accredited, should have walked away, SILLY WOMAN, DESERVED EVERTHING SHE GOT !!! 😢😢😢😢
@@mukeshjobanputra6721times were different in the early 2000’s. Allah is definitely disappointed in your behaviour. Keyboard warrior ⚔️
It was a scam 20 years ago always trying to rip off students, trying to skip courses that were paid ahead of time. After spending $16k in 2001 I got a "diploma" that held less value then my high school diploma. Thankfully back then people in IT didn't really care if you finished your school they only cared if you had the certifications and could actually do the job. CDI left me resentful so much so that I used that "diploma" to start a fire when my wife and I went camping summer of 2003.
As far as 1990 we knew not to hire anyone in I.T. trained at CDI. This, unless you were ready to re-train them from ground zero...
You were diploma burning while I was being birthed 😳
@@DiabloOutdoors Pretty much. I did not learn a single thing there. I joined the program with a very strong IT background behind me, some of it self taught some that I picked up volunteering. I got lucky and met a person from a staffing agency and got hired by Microsoft to do support for Exchange. This was when they had a building on Matheson Blvd. in Mississauga. Then they hired me full time after 3 months.
@@someone28 I've heard your story multiple times and I wonder how come they never had a class action lawsuit against them. There are small and medium scams, but CDI, in my opinion, is a massive scam and all the comments here tend to prove that. Self-taught and volunteering people tell us that there's a big chance they'll be very good employees. Then you get them to have their certifications. That's exactly how I started back in 1984.
@@someone28 wow Microsoft! That must be an awesome feeling to have that opportunity and waking up each day excited, because you're heading to workplace of Microsoft! 😁😁😁
I was hired as a teacher at a private college in Ontario in 1996. There was no program outline provided, just an outdated text book, and I was required to start teaching the next week. More than half of the students in my class did not speak, read or write in English. I realized quickly that the school was scamming the students and quit after two months. I hope our government cracks down on these schools and focuses on protecting the students.
Did you not report them???
If you did not report the school, then they continued scamming the students.
Ontario Canada or California?
@@JC-bs3il Ontario Canada
Ontario/GTA/Mississauga seem to be a cesspool for these kinds of outfits. International Academy of Design and Technology was huge back in the early 2000's, its since closed its doors though after many lawsuits.
Should be a class action lawsuit for their misleading information and accreditation falsehoods. Any of these post secondary institutions, if they are accredited should be listed on the relevant body's website.
It’s about time this awful “college” gets what’s coming to them. They treat their employees even worse.
🇲🇦Hello, I am from Morocco, good comment
Most places I've been to don't treat their employees well. Get a job in southern California and if it's not union you're going to be treated as trash. Even union jobs won't call you back if you get injured a few times and use workman's comp. The private businesses will have a 1000 rules they can use to fire you so they can get out of unemployment insurance so their insurance rates don't go up.
Apparently a commenter above you may be looking into starting a class action lawsuit.
I have had exact experience like these students with CDI. This needs a class action lawsuit
Lousy experience, the only thing nice was my instructor for the three courses on payroll. She knew what she was talking about and took the time to teach. Once the program was complete she provided reference for us students.
I agree there needs to be a class action lawsuit against CDI and most of the institutions in the For-Profit education sector
Same here, feels like a business and not a genuine learning environment.
I'm from Calgary and I tried. Please we need a action lawsuit
Yes I want my money back from this 💩school
the head honchos will just go bankrupt…to them it was a great 33 yr rip off…pyramid scheme… how come some get away with this while someone with a true pyramid scheme would be taken down right away
Canadians has to be one of the most taken advantage people on planet earth. From insurance, télécommunication, utility, education, housing etc. So many scam institutions.
I am thrilled to see this! How do they get away with this?! It's outright fraud and thievery and MUST be investigated as criminal!? This summer I inquired about an online program and something didn't feel right; it felt as though pressure sales was definitely being practiced! The "program coordinator" was a little too aggressive...
I think canada is lack of such law. It is not fraud once you sign the contract. But I think it is important to pass a bill that force them change name.
It's about time CDI is investigated. They opened a campus in Longueuil, QC in the 90s and everything sounded fishy about them. Later, I met with some of their "students" and I can tell you that they were already unqualified and outdated even before finishing their computer program. Everybody in I.T. knew not to hire someone trained at CDI, or to expect to have to re-train them. CDI is the last place where you want to go for I.T. training.
Yup, I learned not to hire CDI graduates.
Unbelievable. “Everyone knew not to hire someone trained in CDI college”? That is ridiculous.
@@InspireNewGeneration I don't know about "everyone", but if you were in I.T. and knew your stuff, you would know right from the first interview that the "student" got very bad training. I remember one person who paid for training at CDI and was very upset because he knew more than the teachers and they were trained on Pentium II which was already an obsolete technology.
I worked as their HR around the same time Adam was employed and I can say they definitely are scamming students out of their money. Thank you Adam and CBC for speaking out about this!! ❤❤
Edit: Going to put it here incase people were wondering. I was hired as an entry level HR assistant and only stayed there for a couple of months. I left the organization after seeing how employees were treated on top of one of their executive staff verbally harassing me. I’ve tried reporting the company while working there to no avail. I will always side with the employees and students at CDI, Vancouver Career College and VCAD.
Was it not your responsibility to do something at the time, since you claim to have had knowledge of fraud? Did you have a good reason for protecting criminals?
@@kellynestegard5208 you would think people would be embarrassed to say they worked there and knew what was going on and didn't report it. (Unless they somehow did report it and just didn't say that)
Hello. Good comment
@@kellynestegard5208 some people don't believe in biting the hand that feeds them.
@@TheRealDeal_81 Some people would rather rationalize their misdeeds than admit they have wronged their fellow human. That does not make it okay.
CDI did this to my friend, a recovering alcoholic who was trying to better her life. In the end, I know they were part of what threw her back into her dependency
You can’t blame cdi for her drinking problem that’s all her
It's sad but this is why you have to do your research beforehand. I considered going to a private vocational school like this but chickened out because it was so fishy. It was a little mint-colored building off a freeway and the program cost 12K! I was so close to joining but decided to enroll in a community college instead. It's so much cheaper and held to better legal standards than some private little shack.
@@samgandham7136 That's true but it points to the ethics of the place or lack thereof. They don't give a crap about people and the effects their scamming can have. Outside of addiction there's many other negative effects to be seen from what they do to people.
@@samgandham7136 trauma and unnecessary stress can trigger a relapse tho
GOD BLESS HER. THE TRAUMA TRIGGERED HER. THATS UNFORGIVABLE. HOPE SHE GETS THE SUPPORT SHE NEEDS T9 HEAL ❤❤❤❤❤
One time I wanted to do pharmacy assistant, once I went to their office my instinct told me this is not a good school and never went back . I feel bad this happened to students
Same here.
I didn't even realize you needed college for that and I was a pharmacy tech for years.
I am glad you listened to your instincts.. sadly I thought I was doing the right thing and red alarm started sounding I was giving the runaround to withdraw. Now I I have to pay a student loan for a program I never took.
You don’t even need a college diploma, I worked as a pharmacy assistant in Vancouver without studying for it.
@@skalias815 Exactly. CDI should be banned.
They have a new scam. It's called recruiting international students who don't know better.
Kidding me. They offer programs to international students who doesn’t know much?
@@InspireNewGeneration yes!
I thinking they use the school as a front in order for international students to gain citizenship.
@@whitneyleigh3975 that is pure fraud. I’m shocked now & shaking, yet gathering information. I’m glad Market place just posted this. I was literally speaking to recruiter yesterday. I learned that how important it is to do your own research.
I know someone going to Sprott Shaw...same thing...horrible!!
I literally went to speak to an advisor at CDI last week and was thinking of enrolling. Perfect timing
Lucky run as fast as u can, I got my diploma today and today this video popped up. I have to pay 22000$ loan 😖😢
How was he even allowed to start a college after seeing his background in California? Where are the regulators in Canada? So much consumer fraud on so many levels, specially in higher education. I taught at one of those “colleges” in Vancouver but quit after 2 terms cos I sensed that the curriculum and approach made is fraudulent to recruit more students and secure tuition revenue, and none of the instructors cared about the quality of the courses taught, and barely any supervision from the academics at the college
This is so SAD that its happening in CANADA and NO ONE is doing anything about it! I hope this scam WILL SOON BE STOPPED!
Instead of these colleges popping up everywhere they should open more community colleges so students don’t have to pay so much
My mom was enrolled at the school in Edmonton and a month before graduation they lost accreditation in nursing and it caused my mom a whole lot of pain for years and shame
Your mom had nothing to be ashamed of tho
Ahhh I am so sorry to hear that. Its not easy for a mom to find time to upgrade herself to get a better income for her kids. So that must have been a terrible blow. How is she now?
I'm so sorry thats devastating
I have a coworker that attends a cdi college in Edmonton & he told me he witnesses some fishy stuff. This was this past year as well
Same in Winnipeg.. 2011 I'm trying to get into LPN and im a matured hs student that time. My teacher told me that that they are pulling out LPN from the college. It breaks my heart.
I feel so bad for these people. School is no joke it is draining on so many levels so when a person finally makes the decisions to go, and get lied to is just down right WRONG!
I was hired by a large family that owned several Academy of Learning locations. Hired for admissions. It was terrible, they wanted me to focus on mothers on welfare as they would benefit from day care while they took the course. No care for the student being saddled with a large loan. There was a wonderful guy there working as a counselor, he tried to create job opportunities for the students and got ZERO support from the owners. We moved across the province to an expensive city for this job, but I quit 3 weeks after starting. Scary times, but I couldn't be part of this.
Wow thanks for sharing this! A few weeks ago a recruiter on linkedin messages me about an opportunity with them in admissions and I considered it for a second until I read people’s bad experiences with it as students. Good to hear from someone who has worked there…I wonder what that recruiter would think lol
They were big on having a student complete one program, then enroll in another (most cases the 2 would complement one another), but then enroll yet for another that was a total change from the first 2. That student would be so far in debt that no job would pay enough to pay back the loans, let alone live.
Thank you CBC and thatCEO belongs in jail
Thank you for finally uncovering this tragedy. I have known this for years
same
Same
I don't understand how this is not a criminal offense.
Isn't fraud a crime?
ITT Tech did this to me. 10 years and 40k in debt later, I filed with the class action lawsuit and all of my student debt was wiped clean. It is called predatory lending.
@RUN DMC likes to walk there seems to be quite a few of these shady schools. I am glad your debt was wiped clean though.
How is this not leading to a class action lawsuit, why are there so many grifters in this country.
This is grifter land 😢. Govt is not interested in helping or protecting us.
YES! Thanks to our Canadian government for allowing this disgusting form of money laundering! No one is watching over what these people are doing.
Oh trust me, there will be one. I am speaking to a lawyer
@@yashpatel261 exactly! Gov has no interest in helping or protecting the people here. Only interested in looking good internationally and being the popular kid to the rest of the world
@@raaaaaaarr wow, I love your statement. 😢❤❤❤
damn this makes me both happy I never enrolled at CDI when I was considering them, but also sad for their victim(students).... completely unethical.
I was also considering them, but what turned me away is that you need to make an account to see the enrollment fees (Which all other colleges had publicly available).
your likely already a victim and an education won't help you if the tv has to tell you what to do
Hello sir, I am from Morocco. I like your comment
@BlackOut GStar Wow. You are a real piece of work. I would wish negativity on you, but it seems like you'd get off on that....sooooo, have a good day.
@@JegTreSpillerDama i'm a piece of work but you're wishing negativity. that only brings bad karma so go ahead
My daughter signed up for their Dental Receptionist online program. She has some learning challenges, but the recruiter told her it wasn't a problem. She would just need to have their disability forms completed and she would then get a learning assistant to help her. She did that, and qualified for additional grants, which was supposed to go to pay for a learning assistant. She never got an assistant. One month into the course, the instructor left. They found an replacement a few weeks later and that instructor left too within the first week. There was no instructor but CDI told her to keep going, which was impossible. So she asked if she could be transferred to another course, which they said absolutely that they would do that...but that never happened. Shortly afterwards, she was ghosted by them, not answering her emails or returning phone messages. She has nothing to show for it but a student loan. They pocketed the all the money and grants and she got nothing but the debt. I did a program with them too...spent over $21,000 in tuition, and did not get what they promised the program would provide. The training was sub-par to what they advertised. I pretty much spent my entire time watching UA-cam videos. When I had questions, the instructor told me to just Google them. I completed the program 1.5 years ago, I am not working in the industry that I spent $21,000 in tuition to be trained. When I apply for positions, I am told that I lack the basics. The training was worthless and very expensive. I'm curious as to how to start a class action lawsuit against them...how do we get started?
Call civil suit and criminal law firms and tell this exact comment to them. You will find an attorney that will know what to do.
Sick! Who ever is running the CDI show needs to be brought down. They've been getting away with this rip-off tactic for more than 20 years now!
Omg I am so sorry to hear that. We recently hired someone who graduated from this program. She had no clue about the program not even the basics. We had to let her go. We felt terrible.
CDI College was incredibly pushy and forced me to sign up. I'm pleased to reject them. All private colleges are scams. I take post-secondary education at a government college and they are truly awesome. They are always there to help me if I don't understand something. ☺️😁
i got scammed by them too and that is in 1997... so they have been doing that for a very long time. They should get arrested.
ALL OF THE POLITICIANS FIGHTING TO SOFTEN REGULATION ON THE BEHALF OF THEIR WEALTHY DONORS MAKE THIS POSIBLE.
CONSERVATIVE POLICIES COME AT A PRICE.
I went to CDI back in 1999/2000. Started in network technician program and they failed me and almost my entire class out of it, later realizing they had an error in their windows 98 test everyone kept failing. They moved me over to a business program. I was never ever able to get work doing what I got a diploma in. Just lots of debt I had to pay off.. was never impressed. Nor was any of my courses able to be used as credits when I went to a different college later.
I’m currently enrolled in CDI. This is the exact same thing happing in my life as we speak. I was just talking about this with some of the other students today. CDI is threatening to kick me out of school because I can’t pay the $653 they expect me to pay for online Ebooks that I only get to use while I’m enrolled. It gets worse.
I went online and checked out the prices of the same books, but in physical form. The total cost for all 6 textbooks came to $108.34!
So of course I mentioned this, but the response i got was “you signed the documents when you were registering”. The registration process felt like I was buying a car from a dealership.
And another thing, I really sucked in school when I was growing up, so there is absolutely no way Im actually getting 90-100% on all my assignments. All I can say is that if I’m stuck with a $20K loan, I will have a lot of other students behind me when we take CDI College to court.
I also found it absolutely ridiculous that I had to pay for e-books that I couldn't even keep + they were 3 years older than current books which are updated every year to keep up with the real world software updates. I would gladly give up my certificate if I could get rid of my student loan. I'm sorry you made the same mistake...
Wow crooks!
Hello madam, I am from Morocco. I liked your comment
I OWE 200 in ebooks and get called every week harassed and bullied into paying like i dont have enough on the plate, im currently enrolled in AAP with CDI
Take them to court
What's more mind-boggling is that "colleges/universities" like CDI College were still listed as options for post-secondary schools alongside actual accredited institutions like UofT and York U on the drop-down list when I was applying for student loans (OSAP) way back in mid 2000's. I attended a public government-accredited university.
I don't know if the application choices have since been changed because it's now been nearly 2 decades have passed since my university days.
Nothing has changed at all, I went to University from 2013-2017 and private colleges like CDI are still on the OSAP list.
I worked at CDI COLLEGE as a Business Instructor. I had to pass All my students. They paid me 37k to manage 35 students per class. I taught over 10crses. In 4 years, they bumped me to 45k. It was a terrible place to work
How did you last soo long? We’re you trying to find a new job while there?
What do you think about online programs? I was just inquiring about Cyber Security course. Tuition is higher side, but it sounds great from what I gather speaking to instructor.
@@InspireNewGeneration are u already in IT? cause if you're already in IT and got the basics down, it might be better to self study for the certs.
@@thecommentator5154 nope. I’m in health care field. Lady I spoke to told me there is no need to have any knowledge.
I workwd there as employment specialist and I found out how they mislead a pharmacist that just came to Canada to register for pharmacy assistant program. Thanks God that I meet with students since the start to build trust. So when I foumd out I was shocked and she thought by this diploma she can become liscened 😢. On the spot I called one of the biggest bridging programs in the City and talked to my friend and sent her there. I was happy to do that even if it cost me my job. I haven't work there for long time and I was dragging the ppl I know away from this scam.
Well, I have first hand experience with this school. So much so that a group of us staged a protest, covered by the media, because they were using demo programs to teach network technology. Had to get re-educated at a local university. Because of the protest, they fully refunded my tuition.
Well done!
Hello madam, I am from Morocco. I liked your comment
this is why a UA-cam education is getting more and more valuable..
Wow, what a powerful documentary. Take caution everyone, always check accreditation of courses, reviews and student experiences. This will always give you a true feeling. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. It was nice to note at the end that the regulator is stepping up and investigating. It probably is a little late but it's a start. A shocking experience for many and now they have huge debts. Don't pay without a fight. I really feel for the lovely lady with the terrible CC diagnosis, if you read this comment, I wish you the very best of luck in your treatment. What a horrible way to treat people.
CDI screwed me over too. 20,000+ in tuition. Over charged for books, classes disappeared mid semester. Taught myself everything. Most of their staff was unhelpful and those who weren't unhelpful didn't away long
Canada has very weak laws when it comes to protect their citizens
Thank trudeau and all the political parties
This needs to happen nationally
This needs to happen in all post secondary institutions !
Thank you CBC for your amazing work at exposing fraudulent and unethical businesses and for these victims to come forward. Governments urgently need to now step up and close down uncredited institutions such as these and see that victims are reimbursed fully. When I was on EI, the Ontario government funded and allowed me to do a payroll management diploma at Canadian business college. Only after graduating I then realized it was uncredited after being informed by Sheridan college.
Absolutely ridiculous that they can get away with this. Thank you for covering this!
How business men (more like financial criminals) can exploit students and their money (which is extremely hard to save when you're a student btw) to get themselves richer is just the scummiest thing someone can do. I hope those students get the money back and I wish them all the best with their future. I hope CDI gets blacklisted.
lol.
just lol.
worse crimes have happened to you in the past 2-3 years
good luck this winter
Imagine the crimes government commits and continues to commit. You're not ready for that rabbit hole yet.
Very true, and the fact that we go through the governments student aid program upon getting the loan for this school is not surprising to me one bit, considering the crimes against humanity they are currently committing against us
@@whitneyleigh3975 don't forget the forced medial experiment on Canadians, get jabbed or starve...
The governments involvement in money laundering in the housing market, and bringing poor immigrants to become low wages tax slaves.. to further bring down wages... Canada lies to it's citizens and immigrants, a land of bad governance!
Corruption is rampant, they just legalize it and call it "lobbying".
@@blackoutgstar9949?
I was told that the Graphic Design Technology program I took last year was accredited, I was told that I would be receiving a $1,000 scholarship for signing up, which turned out to be an outright lie. I was told the instructors all had a Masters, although they would not give me names for 'privacy reasons'. I was told that there was a greater than 85% employment rate after the completion of this course, and there are less than 1% of the people I attended with able to get a job. We have learned that this course is laughed at in the industry. The other thing was being told that the course materials were all the latest available, and that was a bald faced lie too. The books were from 2017, Adobe Classroom in a Box, which is updated every year. The course was almost all You Tube videos I could have gotten for free, and none of the instructors even have a Bachelors never mind a masters. I went through three instructors in the 10 months of the online course. In order to ge my diploma sent to me, I had to threaten them, as they would not release it without me stating that had a job, even though it was freelancing. I'm in my sixties, and now have a student loadn of over $15,000 to deal with as I'm trying to pay off bills before I get too old to work. I feel disheartened and disgusted. A class action would be appreciated by all of us!
That school should be shut down. No pity. They scam people since 1996 and still do.
It's actually worse than what they are showing here, the people that work here should be in jail.
I went there (in Winnipeg) in 2005, was 18 years old and didn't know better.
At the sales pitch, I was promised all the books were included, which ended up being a lie. Our instructor was selling our outdated computer equipment online and buying pizza with the cash.
When I started calling them out on it, they started refusing to allow me in, based on "dress code" (my black pants apparently weren't "proper" dress pants), then told me if I wanted to finish, I'd need to apply for additional grants, even trying to convince me to apply for a single mothers grant (as a 18 year old, single male).
I've got novels worth of stories from that place, gained absolutely nothing, and left financially ruined for my age.
This is long overdue. I was also fooled by this for Profit-College back in 2006. The experience left me in debt for a course which essentially couldn’t get me an entry level job in the field. At the of the program students were sent on internship to start off their prestigious financial/accounting careers but ended up working at nearly minimum wage at collection call centre. That’s what $17,500 got us. We were taught by former students who would turn teachers a day after completing the program, the entire thing was a sad joke which costed people real money and time of their lives. I’ve worked creative jobs for years while repaying an expensive failed attempt at a white-collar career. Class action lawsuit?
same.
I’m currently a student in Edmonton and I’m already looking for a lawyer lol Let’s do it!
pixel blue?
atleast you didn't pay for university to be overqualified
or have to sell your soul to pay back your debt by promoting vaccines
@@whitneyleigh3975 honestly you deserve it who goes to a college they heard from a commercial?
I studied at Vancouver career college back then . I feel the exact same way . I urge people to do their due diligence and research about the school and the program first before signing anything .
Wow! I'd be looking to sue. This is absolutely unethical! Great expose, Marketplace.
I knew immediately something was wrong when their talent acquisition approached me for an "admission officer" opportunity. After a bit of research, I found out that this was simply not an admin position. It involves sales quota which was a big red flag. That being said, I would be constantly under pressure to lure students in and make false promises to them in order to achieve my metrics. No thank you!!
Sounds like Trebas Institute
It goes back to who is operating these facilities. They're opportunists, given the rights to run CDI thanks to Canadian freedom laws!
@@devesongs That was another one I processed OSAP for. Staff would even lie for students, in order for them to get as close to, if not, max funding from OSAP. The Financial Aid Officer confessed this to me one time; he knowingly knew a student, a friend in fact, who lied he was a single parent in order to get max funding. He had no children. The "child" on his app was his dog. I recommended to OSAP to tighten up documentation to support sole support status, and they did.
Unfortunately I have fallen victim to this school and now thousands of dollars in debt. I should have known by the very first meeting where i was just going to talk to someone about the school. Instead of answering my questions they just signed me up and told me I started the following week. I lasted 4 months there before dropping out once I felt like I wasn’t going anywhere with just teaching myself. Looking back I should’ve known to leave but I was excited to turn my life around
I am $40k in debt to CDI. Spent 2 years there. No wonder why many employers ignored me.
Are you still in CDI college. because am a student there now just start my course this year
@@kehindeelizabethsanni6796 no he’s not. I would advise to get out of that college ASAP.
About 10 years ago, an old friend of mine attended a pharmacy tech program at CDI in BC. Upon graduating, she was told by shoppers drug mart she did not have the right credentials to apply at SDM or London Drugs! I’m not sure if that’s changed now, but this was around 10 or so years ago. Sketchy school. Stay away!
I unfortunately fell for the pharmacy tech program approx ten years ago. I owed over 9 grand and they took me to collections. Horrible experience. I was young trying to better myself.
@@sarahtonin4727 know the feeling... i was scammed too.
I got scammed by CDI college 10 years ago and I’m still struggling to pay off a student loan that literally did nothing for me. I was never able to get into the field I graduated from, even with amazing grades and a top notch practicum. Nobody wanted to hire me because I graduated from CDI. I’ve been paying my loan off for 10 years and have barely made a dent due to interest. Something needs to be done about this and anyone who paid money into this “school” should have their loans forgiven and reimbursed for money they paid out of their own pockets. This school literally ruined my life. They’re criminals and it’s insane they’re still in operation.
Do you have any proof because today is the last day I have to drop out
The same thing happened to me with Academy of Learning in Edmonton, Ab. Exactly the same. The same problems, issues, and compaints.
I just finished at CDI..accounting and payroll course...it was so bad...trying to teach ourselves,we in ontario were also told it was an accredited course..and for me...I never thought it wouldn't be as I got an OSAP loan to pay for it, so in my eyes it is government approved...by the time I realized it was not a good college I was already in to far...so I had to keep going in order to not have to pay back the whole 20 grand..but after all the crap I went through, trying to teach myself and feeling defeated and angry all the time...I kept thinking it will be worth it when your all done..to only find out ,I will never have the job in my field because it is not an accredited course..and I cant afford to do it all over at another college...there is so many other things that this college has put me and my classmates through..a law suit does need to happen..so that everyone that was wronged can get there money back...because that would be the right thing to do..and for the OSAP people should no longer giving people money for this college.
Just don't pay OSAP. It cannot affect your credit, look it up.
My hubby went here about 18 years ago for an IT course that was supposed to give a diploma and allow a cert test to be taken. He was ahead of the class and only took it for the paper/certification. He had top grades, but had to take a day off to attend a funeral. He came back and was told he was removed from the course as "he missed too many days" (literally 1, and he emailed the prof). Argued with the administration, proved he sent an email, prof said he lied about it, then offered to "relist for next semester". Hubby had literally 2 weeks left of his course. Such a scummy school. Luckily he got his cert and got into IT without the paper, but not before being 8k in debt.
I also don't recommend going to art institutes either, got scammed for 18k for the same practices (for the video game animation program).
art institute where? I’m thinking of going…
I’m glad I didn’t enroll through on line studying with them. I was desperate to finish my Early Childhood Education Program which I started from my local college
I’m so glad i listened to my instinct. I always felt that CDI wasn’t a legit school. Now that I saw the owner, it really proved my instinct. I feel bad for all the people who got scammed.
Not just CDI - I'd love @CBCnews to look into other private schools like VCAD. The most unreal experience which has cost my partner $40,000. He has continued through the program, hoping that it would get better until he realized it would not, but he just needs to finish.
Incompetent teachers, zero organization (double booking teachers, constantly changing student services admin, zero to poor communication to address concerns, textbooks being sent out a year late, allowing students to talk about non-school subjects for 70% of a class...almost every class), etc.. My partner attends the online class, but ends up using UA-cam to learn things that he should be learning in his 40k program. It's disheartening that there isn't a better way to hold these schools accountable. You must launch a complaint within the first year, which when you are trying to change your career and life, is just too much invested time to give up.
I had both vcad and CDI bad experiences along with some of my friends who took the fall with me and now I'm 38000$ in debt with no diploma and now I can't receive funding in order to take a real accredited program I have to wait a year because the program workloads were ridiculous and even after staying up until 3 in the morning for the whole duration the instructor still failed me and I was unable to continue the course because I didn't pass it was because I pretty much had to learn everything on my own and not from the text or instructor but rather from google I researched and the practical was a simulator for repairing computers and troubleshooting networking and to say the least it was difficult unless you know how to play video games. What a joke CDI is playing with peoples lives and finance under false pretenses now what about the federal government who lent the money how come they are not accountable for lending or practicly giving these institutions directly into their accounts from the nlsc loan center and should not incur any of these debts and go after the college instead of them victims
Fun fact: VCAD is owned by Peter Chung as well
@@ryansabourin6339
VCAD, Reeves College and CDI College are all owned by the same corporation.
MASSIVE vouch on VCAD's BC campus, particularly its administrative system; went from 2017-2019 for graphic design & it was a revolving door of chickens with their heads cut off, no bachelor's, had to do practically all of my accounting for my loans by myself every semester, and was told at one point i should do 7 classes a week, which my course didn't even offer. love my new friends and most of the graphic design teachers i've met there but everything else was horrible, my thousands-dollar diploma & 3.9 GPA are apparently BEYOND useless anywhere in the lower mainland. they replaced the old student lounge with office cubicles for the teachers!!! if you are looking for a school downtown avoid VCAD at all costs
@@hdang555 Don't forget the VaCC college is owned by Peter Chung
Everyone of these private colleges needs to be shut down and the ministry needs to be held responsible! I have been yelling this since 2009 when I worked at Ontario Works and Second Career (Ministry of Colleges and Universities funded)do nothing to check on what is going on in these "schools".
So many OW participants leave school and are unable to find employment.
My partner at the time was enrolled in another private college that had terrible teachers.
I got cheated by Robertson College in Calgary. Same story! I Lost almost $10,000 in fees. They are still harassing me for more money after I dropped. I Finished all theory courses online. Labs were to be full day courses, they taught me nothing in labs, just gave me a test. Their instructors have full-time jobs somewhere else and are not interested in teaching. They make policies on the fly. Nothing is informed about school policies beforehand. They taught me nothing and failed me in lab.
It's not just CDI college. I'm in a job where I see people enrolling in private career colleges and I wish I could warn them. I literally see one college that accepted a student (newcomer)who did not know how to use the computer. The course was online and remote. The poor girl dropped out after a week of struggling to use the computer . They still took some of the tuition. But I blame our government too. It shouldn't be so easy to open a school in Ontario. Ontario shouldn't be that "open for business" .It seems just about anyone can register a college and the truck driving and heavy equipment schools are the absolute worst. My advice is to only apply to a public college. There is more structure and ethics
Agree, the big ones like Humber, George Brown, and Seneca are probably like the legitimate ones. This varies based on the program though but they are the big public colleges with multiple campuses.
I went to one- for further education and OSAP recognized it and was legit. Yes, they have gotten bad now. A shame. 😔
I also blame the students for going to such a so called college!
@@hasibchowdhury1742 Hi HASIB: Please research the colleges as well. Some Program Coordinators of Departments will tell prospective students, "Oh, yes!. There is a 100% placement rate." Make sure you investigate the College, your program of interest, and the job prospects once you graduate. I thought I'd let you know. International students pay an arm and a leg for tuition, so INVESTIGATE, INVESTIGATE, INVESTIGATE!
@@hasibchowdhury1742 I dont understand why people go to these private collages other than to get an easy pass because they charge over double the tuition compared to a public school. Example, 2nd year electrician course as KPU and BCIT is $1600 but at places like Ace and sprott shaw its almost $4000 for the same course
How is it possible that they are still in business after numerous complaints? They at least should be ordered to immediately stop offering their programs and eventually put them behind the bars.
My wife studied there too, she noticed even students that were hardly attending classes were able to graduate. Aside from this, OJT that they promised never materialized since the students were left on their own to look for one.
Their selling point was they were the sister company of VCC, thinking this was Vancouver Community College turned out as Vancouver Career College. Stay away from this school based on our first hand experienced.
Please share this to every other student you think might be considering to enroll.
Based on how government works here it's unlikely any action will be taken against the CEO
In the meantime we can limit the harm it can cause to anyone getting scammed
hey, i am an Indian and planning to do supply chain management course. is this college good ?
kindly help me as i am planning to go there for the september 2023 intake.
@@bhakarfamilybro just watch the video ,they literally told you that the college isn’t good as it is not accredited ,you can also read multiple comments in here that are telling people to avoid this college .
I'm so happy there doing this going undercover. I took office administrator for a year passed and got my diploma, but I was alone. The class online was horrible I had to do everything on my own it was horrible and if you had a question about anything for a subject you would be waiting a week to get that question there communication is poor. And now I'm finding a job, and it's so hard finding a job.
I went to CDI College for the HCA program and had a terrible experience. I paid over 15k in student loans and the course itself was majorly disorganized, with the instructor themselves not having ALL access to their teaching materials. For 18 students we shared 1 lab area with incomplete lab equipment, insufficient supplies, and only 4 beds with barely functional controls and mannequins. Oftentimes any concerns that were brought up were ALWAYS dismissed. Threatened us going into our practicum as well. Went during covid 19 era and they threatened us saying that any missed dates we would be kicked out of the program. No understanding with religious events, and often had favouritism with certain students. For the amount I paid, DO NOT go here!!!!
Very similar situation here at the Visual College of Art and Design Vancouver. VCAD is under the same umbrella as CDI, owned by the Eminata Group. In the graphic design program alone, communication is lacking, constant disorganization and many staff and instructors left the college. Getting ahold of someone from the finance department is difficult and the overall learning environment is not student-centred. Eminata's schools should be closed down and refund our tuition.
After so many people had issues with this, you’d assume there’s some form of class action lawsuit for the guy again and legally force the person to pay back all the students or be faced a few decades in prison since chances are, the amount of money had likely reached millions upon millions over the years.
i went to one of their calgary campuses and let me tell you, only a few of the teachers were actually qualified to teach their courses, and they were horrendously underpaid. the last ive heard, most of the actually good teachers left for better positions at better colleges/universities.
I recall applying for an instructor position once. It was shocking to me to see the their south college was located in a rundown strip mall and that they more interested in whether I could teach ALL the courses within that given program right away, rather than hiring the right people to teach the right course. I recall the hourly pay was quite low $25-40, so glad I dodged that bullet!
This is not the only school that does this. I paid for a medical/dental assistant course. Couldn't get a job and 7 years later still paying the student loans back for something I got no credit for. The school shut down a few years ago. Completely ridiculous I feel robbed.
Same.
I mean if you fall for that…
What happens is that these colleges sometimes with long multi decade history become insolvent such as from declining enrollment. As a result, they are bought by investors for a few million dollars who are interested in a reputable brand. These investors hire recruiters who earn high commission for bringing in students. The recruiters in turn make oversized promises that even top universities would not make to their students in order to get the enrollment and earn the commission (which can be as much as $8000 per student they bring in).
This is even more so for international students where there are degrees like professional customer service diploma pay 5 figures to work to be a restaurant server or coffee shop barista. The idea of gaining pr is also sold in this case.
All for profit schools such as vocational schools, private colleges, and correspondents I think are all scams.
Examples: CDI, DeVry, Academy of Learning, etc...
CDI College
My bf's mother went there to become a medical secretary. When she graduated, none of her credits were valid for her to be able to work as a medical secretary. She sued them and won
I admire her! Many people don't know how to stand for themselves, we all should.
My daughter attended VCAD (when we called their campus, the phone message often switched between VCAD AND CDI) for about a month before dropping out. She’s left with $20,000 in student loan bills.
They told me I could study at my own pace becuase I was working a full time job and ended up kicking me out because I couldnt make some of my classes. They have no problem taking your money and will use any exuse to give you the boot and make room for another student. I lost thousands of dollars becuase of CDI. I hope they go out of business.
Wow!! Im so happy I listened to my gut. I went to CDI back in 2004. Had such a great experience then that when I was looking to retrain in a different field I went straight to CDI. At first something didn't feel right, but I ignored it as I had so much going on in my life so thought its just me. As time went on I really started to feel and see the cracks (no show/late for appt, computers that didn't work for my testing, misinformation about my application, etc. Thank goodness I wasn't enrolled yet, I was just doing the testing, interview, and some planning. They were trying to push me into enrollment within 3 weeks. When I told them that was too soon they said "are you will to just throw it all away, and give up your opportunity because of the start date" that was more then red lights, and alarms. I couldn't understand how they could have possibly said something so callous, insensitive, and cruel without even considering, or appreciating the other side of the coin. I spoke my mind in return and blocked them from all my sources of contact.
I fellow my gut too back in 2005. When I left building after talking to those people at CDI. I felt it wasn't for me. It will be waste of time and money.
Im glad you listened to your instincts!
I went to CDI in 2009 for Medical lab assistant and never got job . We were 20 to 25 students in that batch not single person got job and same with previous batch .
I took Medical office assistant course and the teacher was rude, disrespectful. I heard bad things about CDI prior to applying. Why did not I listen? 😕
Correct. You'd be hard pressed to find any lab assistants from CDI doing anything but perhaps phlebotomy in a little private lab.
If you can't pass the provincial or national lab assistant exams, you will not be hired. Does this CDI program even prepare you for those certification exams? Probably not.
I worked at ITT Tech here in the states for just a short period of time. People i worked with were great but the things that were going on behind doors with the higher ups was crazy. Place ended up closing 3-4 months after i started working there because of the Dept of Ed stopping the use of financial aid to go there. For profit colleges need to be highly regulated because there is way too many "students" being left behind
About 9 years ago I was working for CDI College as their Regional Auditor for the Alberta region and I saw first hand all this issues raised here as I went through all their campuses reviewing all their operations and activates. in since 2014 I joined the Government of Alberta Indigenous Relations as Grant Auditor. Since working for the GOA, I have in two separate occasions responded to Job openings in Advance Education of the Government of Alberta to handle the role of auditing and reviewing the operations and activities of all the Private Vocational Institutions in Alberta. I clearly made it know to the hiring panel the ills that the deceptions taking place in some of those institutions and how the Government department responsible for monitoring and approving the activities of the Privately owned institutions are failing in their responsibility and how I was willing and have first hand knowledge of what is going on there (in particular CDI and Reeves Colleges in Alberta). To my surprise the hiring manager asked me if I was intending to have them all closed down. Needless to say I wasn't hired for the job and I guess because I told them the Government Department drop the ball here.
I am so glad this is being exposed. I tried to expose them when they did this to me. I have a huge student loan debt because of them. They mislead, the lie and they have no consideration for students! I am so glad this has come to light!
I hope next will be Tsom Toronto School of Management in Toronto very scammers and corrupts
Hi I see you just posted your comment few days ago, they helped me to apply for a loan today. When applying for a loan I had to mention they school as college of enrollment. My question is when the loan is approved does Calgary services pay direct to them or to me because I’m thinking of cancelling the loan application as well as the registration, however if the money will be paid straight to me I might as well look for another college to enroll with
@@nyikonyiko6268 call up your loan officer and have them cancel it. Find a better accredited college.
@@nyikonyiko6268 The college gets the funds for the program and if you applied for financial support to help you throughout the duration of the program, you get that portion. I hope this helps.
i am astonished by the fact that such colleges are still thriving to this day in plain sight!! wake up governments
I’m astonished that people fall for this crap.
These are private, government is not involved...
For international students it is 3x the price in CAD and the young students are cought on a foreign country alone. The government shoud prohibit these schools.
I worked in CDI college their Calgary call center as the same way Adam mentioned Assistant Director of admissions what a joke
The fired me because I wasn’t able to perform the way they wanted to bring students for their business.
It’s pure business not doing for anyone’s betterment.
Should put a end of these kind of business, making people look like clowns #boycottcdicollege
I had a similar issue with Sprott Shaw, another business school. The teachers weren't actually teachers, the students weren't taught the basics of how to use a computer, and I was required by the teachers to stop what I was doing to help the other students because I knew how to use a computer and how to save to disk. If I didn't help the other students, I was going to be ejected from the program. I did help, and still got kicked out. This was about 1998. The real irony? Most of the students were at least 15 to 20 years older than I and were being "trained" through the welfare system's job program.
In 2011, I joined the PSW certificate program. It was supposed to be a 6-months program and cost more than $6000. At the time, this college-level certificate cost as much as a university-level semester course. The instructor had to pay out-of-pocket to purchase healthcare equipment so us, students could have hands-on practice. She also had to go source placement options for us when this should have been an admin responsiblity. We could tell this was stressing her as she was hired to teach us, not spend her own money on equipment to furnish a lab CDI should have had already set up. I don't know if she ever got her money back, but she ended up quitting 3-4 months into the program when we were supposed to start student placements. I don't fault her because they were totally unfair to her. 1-month delay as they tried to find a replacement. At the beginning of the program, we were told that we would have an exam to complete after the student placement was finished so we could get the certificate. Placements finished and no word of when this exam was going to be. We waited 3-4 months before getting an exam date. And even then, there were only 3 students in this program, and all of us had to come in on different days to take the same exam. How hard is it to plan an exam for 3 students?!! I filed a dispute to their management because of the long wait and wanted a refund back. Did not get any money back. I filed a complaint to the ministry of education. I didn't think anything would come out of it but I wanted an official record of the way the instructor and students were treated. More than the money, I was so frustrated with the wasted time. The management did not seem to have any clue how to run the program nor what content/equipment was needed. I would not recommend this school to anyone.
Academy of Learning has also Dooped many!
Worth looking into as well
I paid a 200.00 registration fee for the addictions and community worker program. I met with some intake guy. While discussing the cost, he told me it would be around 18K. I refused and said I couldn’t afford that. He then inquired if I would take the program if the fee was 10K. I immediately sensed something shady was going on when he was trying to haggle with me so I left. I requested a refund of my 200.00 registration. I never saw that cheque. I was lucky to get into a real Ontario college that cost significantly less and a much more valuable program .
This is true guys. My friend took the Pharmacy assistant course there and she told me that at the end of the program they told her that she suddenly owes them $1500 to graduate and that she wouldn't get her certificate if she didn’t pay that amount. I was in disbelief when she told me that because I also took the same course at a public college and my tuition was half hers and didn’t have any problems at all. I guess the only difference is that I had to take a bunch of pre requisites to get into the program where as for private colleges like CDI, all they want is your money and they omit all the pre courses! So be careful of any private colleges. Sprotshaw is one of them too
Same here. Private colleges are scams. 😢😢😢
If the school has to advertise on daytime television, its automatically sus, to me. I graduated ITT in 93. It got my foot in the door of a company and I built my career, but my results were not typical. Sounds very familiar. ITT since got their accreditation pulled and they went bankrupt. Its so long ago, it doesn't matter to my career now though.
Thank you CBC for always trying to uncover truth and educating our country 👏👏
WOW So glad I stumbled across this. I was in discussions with CDI college this week for the pharmacy assistant program.
That good that you watch this video. Don't go to them. Don't answers their messages or calls.
@@11cost1 lol I just emailed the news clip stating your like a used car salesman. I blocked there calls yesterday after 7 calls in 8 hrs.
Good for you! The more people can be saved from them, the better!
Run, run as fast as you can! 😉
unfortunately when a lot of people say things like "education is a scam", they are correct. this is but one example of many. and it shouldnt be this way.
Good job guys. You are helping so many people.
Amazing groundwork Travis and team. Looks like you are already making a difference based on a single comment I saw below.Well done
This is what happens when our post secondary schools aren't funded properly!!
I was looking for certifications offered from several schools, I called CDI ONCE just to inquire about prices, classes etc... They were ringing down my phone every other day , that was a red flag in itself because no other educational institution does this. It was like some sort of scammy behaviour. That is so sad :( I feel for the students who lost so much money for nothing. "Recruiters may do things that the company doesn't condone" LOL THEY HIRED THEM. this is ridiculous
This is so sad man I feel for these people that fell into that !!
This is not new. There unfortunately are many questionable private institutions.
Omg...I had this same feeling...when I went to visit the CDI college ...and I took the wise decision not to join this college, they kept calling me to join the college...so if a college or a University (so called) is calling you to join them , always see it as a red flag and steer clear of them 🚩
Same here. They were forcing me to enroll and pay 20K. I refused. 😂😂😂😂
And I thought that it was a good sign 🤔😢
Bravo Marketplace! Keep exposing crooks! Hope those students will get money back and CDI college should get a HUGE fine! By the way it's already game over for them as they are exposed on YT!
every person I have ever talked to who has gone to CDI has always said the same damn things
I went to another private college in Toronto before 2017 where someone was pushy trying to sell their programs to me right away. It felt like hypnosis when I was in the office with only one person discussing all available programs (don’t want to get into all details). They even gave me a test (Math 😄) to do during the first appointment when I wasn’t even prepared for it and simply came to discuss similar things that I hear in your video. I remember I didn’t find correct answers but suddenly they said that I passed the test…
That appointment made me feel that I would never study in any private college in Canada.
I legit go to a college that made me pay $10k+ despite me being told i had to go