Two years ago, one of the largest of the global automotive manufactures headquartered in the Greater Detroit Area, approached Modis for help finding highly skilled local software engineers. Modis’ solution was to use its Tech Academy and devise a ‘Hire, train, deploy’ approach. It starts by identifying and recruiting candidates through universities or development bootcamps, based on the requirements and needs specified by the client. This includes specific skills and attributes, and in this case, diversity was also an important criterion too.

“We do all the initial phone interviews, screening, resumes, technical assessments, reference checks and first round interviews,” says Zenon Sandoval, Delivery Vice President of Modis in the USA. “We probably screen around 15-20 people for every candidate we present to the client, and then it’s usually just 30-minute discussion because they know we have done our due diligence.” 

The next stage is three months of intensive software engineering training through the Modis Tech Academy, which has been customized and tailored to the client’s needs. It also includes onsite practical job shadowing. “The client is involved in the whole process, so by the end of the training, they already have a relationship with the candidate,” adds Sandoval. “They’re ready to go, they’ve already integrated into their team and so it’s a smooth transition.”

Finally, the candidate assumes a full-time position with the client via Modis, and after fulfilling a two year contract, the client has the option of employing them permanently. “We are essentially providing the candidates with free training as well as a basic salary during the training period, and at the end of it they get a solid placement with a large enterprise company that is working with emerging technologies such as connectivity and automation,” says Jordan Ghannam, Sr. Business Development Manager at Modis. “It’s a fantastic opportunity to kick start a successful career.”

Historically the client’s hiring process – from the initial advertisement to the final selection – took 4-6 weeks. By contrast, Modis’ ‘Hire, Train, Deploy’ process takes 8-10 business days. The candidates placed so far have exceeded the client’s expectations and are on track to be employed permanently.

Detroit local, Peter Lutz, was among the first wave of candidates to go through the program and is now currently working with the Automotive client. “It really opened the door for me and has given me everything I need to succeed here,” he says. “I had already applied for other jobs with the same company, with the same credentials minus Modis’ program, so it has clearly made all the difference.” 

In fact, the client is so satisfied with Modis’ candidates that it now wants to expand the program into an ongoing process. Going forward, 5-6 graduates will be recruited every three months.

“The key differentiator is the Modis Tech Academy, which we have invested so heavily in,” says Jordan Ghannam. “Car manufacturers are transitioning into tech companies now, and there is an extreme shortage of talent. At the same time, finding the perfect candidate is time consuming for them. What we have done with the Modis Tech Academy here is create a pipeline of local talent, which simply does not exist anywhere else.”