Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ - OBSIDI Academy 2024

  • 1. What is Obsidi® Academy?

    Obsidi® Academy is a bespoke knowledge-based provider by Black Professionals in Tech Network (BPTN). It offers best-in-class tech, business training, and professional development experiences for Black-identified Canadians wishing to achieve their career goals through upskilling.

    Equally, Obsidi® Academy provides leading companies with talent tailored to their profile and fit, with skills based on actual corporate requirements and business needs.

    After completing a 3-month full-time training bootcamp, Obsidi® Academy graduates are provided a contingent employment offer from partner employers. This employment offer is contingent upon the graduate successfully fulfilling all partner employment onboarding requirements (partner background check).

  • 2. Who should apply to the Obsidi® Academy bootcamp?
    Self-identified Black individuals looking for a professional development opportunity in the field of technology or business, legally residing in Canada and legally authorized to work for any Canadian employer.
  • 3. What are the eligibility requirements to join the Obsidi® Academy bootcamp?
    Obsidi® Academy applicants must fulfill  the following  Obsidi® Academy bootcamp eligibility requirements:
    • Subscribe to a FREE Obsidi.com membership HERE.
    • Self-identify as a Black individual who legally resides in Canada and is legally authorized to work for any Canadian employer.
    • Consent to and meet the criminal and financial background checks and eligibility criteria.
    • Consent to and meet the psychometric and pre-employment assessment(s) and eligibility criteria.
    • Not be employed, contracted, or enrolled in any other full or part-time employment, service contract,  educational, or professional development opportunity during the Obsidi® Academy bootcamp training.
    • Fulfill and meet any partner employer hiring contracts and workplace human resource policies and requirements (hybrid work environment, etc.).
    • Secure the required dependent care and respective transportation for said dependents during the entire duration of Obsidi® Academy and respective daily instruction to allow me to promptly begin on time, fully engage, and complete daily instructional requirements.
    • Must establish legal residence, as indicated by the partner employer hiring requirements, and submit proof of said residence before starting day 1 of the Obsidi® Academy bootcamp.
      • Accepted proof of residence is ONE of the following that shows the address of the aforementioned legal residence requirement:
        • Canadian-issued driver’s license
        • Provincial Photo Card (e.g., The Ontario Photo Card)
        • An application, renewal, or ‘change’ receipt for one of the above; issued by the official issuing government agency.

    Note: If any applicant is found to intentionally or unintentionally misrepresent or falsify any current, past, or forthcoming personal, professional, educational, or career information, they will be deemed indefinitely ineligible to apply to and participate in any current or future Obsidi® Academy opportunity. Similarly, if said misrepresentation or falsification is identified after acceptance into the Obsidi® Academy bootcamp, the participant will be deemed indefinitely ineligible and immediately offboarded. Examples of misrepresentation or falsification include, but are not limited to:
    • Using multiple emails, names, pseudo names, or identities during the application process to ‘game’ or increase your acceptance chances.
    • Exaggerating, falsifying, or inflating your current, past, or forthcoming personal, professional, educational, and career information when completing your Obsidi® Member profile, Obsidi® Academy application, and any submitted documentation, identification, and personal profile URLs (e.g., government documentation, LinkedIn URL, resumes, etc.)
    • Enlisting someone other than yourself to complete the required psychometric or pre-employment assessments.

    Disclaimers:
    • The partner(s) and BPTN do not grant sponsorship for Canadian Work Permits.
    • The contingent acceptance into Obsidi®  Academy and the contingent partner employment offer are contingent upon passing both Obsidi® Academy and partner requirements, such as a minimum GPA and passing a criminal and financial background check for BOTH Obsidi®  Academy and the partner employer.
    • Eligibility requirements are subject to change based on evolving Obsidi® Academy and partner employer business needs.
  • 4. Are there educational or career eligibility prerequisites for Obsidi® Academy?
    No educational or career prerequisites are required for the Obsidi® Academy bootcamp. However, in keeping pace with the evolving business needs of our partner employers’ requirements, candidate selection can require that at least 25% of each Cohort’s candidates have a minimum of 2 years tech experience/education. This ensures that specific key business metrics are met and each candidate is well-equipped to succeed.
  • 5. What partner employer business units are Obsidi® Academy graduates assigned to during the job onboarding?

    Before an in-session Obsidi® Academy bootcamp ends, participants receive a contingent employment offer from the partner employer associated to a specific business unit. This offer letter is contingent upon participants graduating from the Obsidi® Academy bootcamp and fulfilling all partner employers’ onboarding requirements. The business units included are as follows:

    • Artificial Intelligence (AI) Programming
    • Business Banking
    • Cloud Computing
    • Data Engineering
    • Full Stack Development
    • Mobile & Applications
    • Quality Engineering
    • Securities
    • Software Enablement
    • Streaming Services
  • 6. After registering for a free Obsidi® membership, how can I locate my unique profile link to include as part of my Obsidi® Academy application requirements?
    • Step 1 - Log into Obsidi®.
    • Step 2 - On the screen's right side, you will see the phrase “ Bring Your Community” and click the purple button marked “ Invite Peeps.” 
    • Step 3 - Copy the link that appears in the screen pop-up under the section entitled “ Invite your tribe to Obsidi®.” 
    • Step 4 - Submit this unique profile link into the Obsidi® Academy application field, as this successfully identifies you as an active community member.
  • 7. What must I do to ensure that my Obsidi® membership profile is 100% complete to proceed to the next steps of the application successfully?

    Completing your Obsidi® profile is easy! Here is the list of all the inquiry fields that must be filled out on your Obsidi® member profile to make it complete.

    • Picture/self image
    • First & Last Name
    • Age range
    • Gender
    • Geographic location
    • Profile headline
    • Company name, experience level, chosen industry, and area of expertise
    • Website and career goals
    • Copy of a resume
  • 8. How many cohorts are deployed yearly?
    Currently, Obsidi® Academy offers up to three (3) cohorts per year.
  • 9. What sort of psychometric assessments must applicants complete?

    The psychometric or pre-employment assessments* are industry standard benchmarks for identifying great Obsidi® Academy candidates and future tech employees like you. These assessments reduce biases, provide an equitable application process by ensuring applicants are evaluated according to the same objective criteria, and ensure that each candidate is well-equipped to succeed.

    *Note: If you require assessment accommodation and can provide supporting documentation, please email academy@bptn.com with the "Assessment Accommodation Request” in the subject line.

    Additional information about the assessments is available here.

  • 10.How much does Obsidi® Academy pay students while enrolled in the bootcamp?

    Obsidi® Academy participants who attend the 3-month bootcamp are paid CAD 2000/month, for a total CAD 6000*.

    *Note: Obsidi® Academy charges participants a one-time CAD 500 administration fee deducted from the participant’s first month's payment. All payments are subject to applicable Canadian income taxes.

  • 11. What computer hardware requirements should students acquire to participate and complete the Obsidi® Academy bootcamp learning tasks?

    The requirements are the following:

    • a computer with a processor speed of 1.5 gigahertz (GHz)
    • random-access memory (RAM) of 8 gigabytes (GB)
    • free storage space of 1 GB
    • webcam and a microphone (or headphones with a built-in microphone)
    • before the bootcamp start date, obtain and maintain consistent and reliable access to high-speed internet, with the following minimum specifications:
      • upload speed of 10 megabits per second (Mbps), and 
      • download speed of 50 Mbps.
    • Headphones are highly recommended.
  • 12. How can I appeal the results of my application or assessments?
    No appeals are offered.  The Obsidi® Academy Application Decision email, sent from an official Obsidi® Academy representative, communicates the final application status.
  • 13. What are officially approved and assigned communication channels for questions, comments, feedback, or all other messages about Obsidi® Academy?

    Obsidi® Academy is hard at work ensuring that our participants receive the best experience possible. Therefore, we request prospective participants exercise due patience and only use the officially approved communication channels available to assist them.

    Please note that responses to comments, questions, and feedback may be significantly delayed due to the volume of inquiries received. Still, updates to processes and procedures will always be available on the Obsidi® Academy public-facing website - if applicable, at www.obsidi.com/academy

    Obsidi® Academy's official communication channels

  • 14. What are some unofficial communication channels that aren’t available to address questions or concerns of any Obsidi® Academy applicants?

    The following is a list of unofficial communications channels and individuals who cannot and will not address prospective applicants' and existing students’ questions and concerns or even review their Obsidi® Academy applications during the intake or assessment stage.

    • Obsidi® social media channels e.g., LinkedIn, Facebook. IG, etc.
    • BPTN employees, both current and former, not working within the Obsidi® Academy team
    • Obsidi® Academy instructors employed for BPTN
    • Former Obsidi® Academy applicants, participants, graduates, and alumni 
    • Lekan Olawoye, BPTN CEO & Founder
    • Black Professionals in Tech Network (BPTN) or Obsidi® partners
  • 15. How do I know if I have been successfully accepted into the Obsidi® Academy bootcamp?

    Frequently check What’s Next for the most recent Obsidi® Academy information and cohort updates.

    Upon completing the Obsidi® Academy application and respective ‘review phase,' applicants will receive an official Obsidi® Academy Application Decision email from an official Obsidi® Academy representative, communicating one of the following decisions:

    • Acceptance granted into Obsidi® Academy
    • Acceptance not granted

    If you have not received an official Obsidi® Academy Application Decision email, please note that your application is still under review.

    Application and assessment status emails are auto-generated and sent to applicants during the application and respective ‘review phase’. These status emails do not provide acceptance confirmation and should not be interpreted as communicating applicants’ ‘queue position’ in the application and ‘review phase.’

    What’s Next?

    Suppose you have not received an official Obsidi® Academy Application Decision email confirming your acceptance into the current cohort. In that case, regrettably, your application is disregarded, and you do not proceed to the next step(s) for the current or future cohort(s). Your application:

    • Will not be reassessed,
    • Will not be granted any appeal, and
    • Will not warrant nor receive any further inquiry or communication to/from those mentioned above officially approved Obsidi® Academy communication channels.
  • 16. How is the Obsidi® Academy re bootcamp experience and instruction delivered to students?

    Obsidi® Academy is delivered remotely via an immersive and blended learning virtual environment. The learning experience includes virtual live instructor-led content, independent self-paced learning content, video tutorials, virtual live webinars, team collaborative learning, and virtual live instructor-led professional development workshops.

    Viewing previously recorded instructional sessions or accessing static content is not available.

  • 17. What is the duration of the bootcamp?

    The Obsidi® Academy bootcamp operates for 12 weeks, with potential amendments to the schedule that may occur due to statutory holidays and bootcamp revisions. Each day runs for at least 8 hours, and participants are expected to complete work in the evenings and over weekends.

  • 18. What options are available to prospective applicants if the Obsidi® Academy bootcamp introduces revisions to its application process or makes changes to any program elements which impacts participants?

    Obsidi® Academy will always reserve the right to make an application, training, and any other relevant changes to the bootcamp at its sole discretion.

    Obsidi® Academy will do due diligence to communicate changes and impacts to prospective applicants and enrolled participants to the best of our ability. Regardless of the above, Obsidi® Academy will always exercise its discretionary rights, required protocols, and practices to satisfy both Obsidi® Academy’s and partner employers’  operational needs.

*Frequently Asked Questions are subject to change at any time.