ABOUT STA
Rationale for the project
Software Testing is a set of techniques, processes and approaches whose goal is to help tackle risks, detect errors or gaps during the development of the software product and support solving them before delivery of the software product as well as to check whether the actual software product matches expected requirements.
- As software products are an integral part of our life, Software Testing is becoming more and more important, being one of key activities when developing any software.
Properly tested software greatly improves reliability, security and high performance which further results in time saving, cost effectiveness and customer satisfaction. Software that does not work correctly can cause many problems like losing money or time – or even worse injuries or death.
The demand for software testers is growing and job opportunities are boosting. Even so, there is a relevant shortage in Software Testers. To reduce this shortage, there is need to train new professionals and to encourage newcomers to enter into IT sector.
Unfortunately, both on the training and syllabus levels in the field of Software Testing there is currently a huge gap between what is needed and what is offered. The current material is often obsolete or out of touch with the industry’s reality. There are a lot of different short courses on software testing tools, yet no available validated and structured training pathway (i.e. VET course or postgraduate studies). Therefore, the educational offer in this area is limited, not adapted to the real IT market requirements and, what is more, not suitable to train the newcomers. This hinders the possibility of training new software testers and blocks numerous job opportunities available.
Our Innovative Contribution
The Software Testing Academy project is a 32-month collaborative project that combines both innovation development and co-creation by collaborative transnational networking within consortium. To this end, the project will work on the development of:
- Software Testing Educational Pathways for Newcomers. It will outline the innovative training model for newcomers that want to develop professional career in software testing, defining the demanded skills and knowledge required by Software Testing professionals.
- Training materials and resources. The training materials for each training pathway will be adjusted to the individual necessities of the learner, and therefore, there will be a variation of the content and the pathway approaches. This way, the agile learning method will be followed. They will contain dynamic, engaging syllabus that cover different levels of knowledge, provide hands-on experience and cater the individual learner at the same time.
- Online learning platform. The platform goes far beyond the idea of learning being confined to courses and can be seen rather as a type of library, providing learning materials tailored for individualised training pathway of the learner. In consequence, the platform will be a powerful and flexible tool for learning and collaborating online.
- Training courses. The training courses will be online and self-directed, but learners will also have support from an agile learning coach, who will do a follow-up of the learner and carry out a continuous assessment if necessary.
Consortium
The Software Testing Academy Project is implemented by multidisciplinary and highly complementary consortium of 4 entities representing both academy and industry.
Ceprof – Centros Escolares De Ensino Profissional
Portugal
Vocational School of Espinho (ESPE) was founded with the aim to develop better professionals for the Espinho labour market. During the years ESPE has evolved to attend to the needs of the enterprise, and we are one of the most important providers of workers to the labour market in the region.
ESPE is a national leader in elaborating and providing VET training on new technologies, and we also have high excellence in developing VET curricula in innovative curricula, such as Robotics and in 3D Printing.
How will you contribute to the Software Testing Academy project?
CEPROF the funding organization of ESPE will coordinate the project. Our part in the project will be managing the project and all the activities that must be developed in it. In the latter stages of the project, CEPROF will work on developing Project Result number 4, hence we have experience in developing high-end training courses.
Amaris Consulting
Spain
Amaris Consulting is an independent technology consulting firm providing guidance and solutions to businesses. It gathers more than 7,000 people from 95 different nationalities, spread across 5 continents and more than 60 countries. With more than 1,000 clients across the globe, we have been rolling out solutions in major projects for over a decade. Our experts engage across all sectors ranging from financial services and transportation, to healthcare and technology.
How will you contribute to the Software Testing Academy project?
Given our expertise in Testing and Quality Assurance, Amaris will lead the development of the gamified e-Learning platform and resources, as well as will co-lead the development training materials and tools. Furthermore, Amaris will also contribute to the establishment of the novel training model guaranteeing that the model is in line with the IT market needs. Finally, Amaris will participate in the implementation of the pilot online trainings in Spain and globally.
Quality Minds
Germany
We are a young IT company which offers services in the field of quality assurance in agile software development. Our team consists of more than 300 experts in software testing and software development, IT architecture and requirements engineering. We advise our customers, offer workshops and work “hands-on” on IT projects. We also work on improving education in organizations. We believe that the success of a single IT project is based on a holistic approach which boosts quality assurance. We live by this principle as a company. We are an agile organization and we learn from and with one another. For us, success is defined by visionary and applicable solutions developed together with our customers.
How will you contribute to the Software Testing Academy project?
QualityMinds possesses the expertise in the fields of software testing as well as learning, education, and training. In this particular project, we want to focus on improving learning skills and gaining experience in education. The QualityLearning team has combined agile principles with pedagogical research. The new agile approach, which puts the individual in the center and thus caters directly to the needs of the learner, QualityMinds will design and implement the agile learning and teaching concepts for the academy. Furthermore, QualityMinds will train agile learning coaches to help learners define learning objectives according to their needs, motivation and prior knowledge. Agile learning coaches also help in reflecting on the learning process and adaptation, as well as in determining suitable content, location and time.
WSEI – University of Economics and Innovation in Lublin
Poland
The University of Economics and Innovation in Lublin – WSEI is a Polish non-state higher education institution, that offers full university degree programmes in a range of academic disciplines. With 6 500 students, it is a nationally recognized university, demonstrating a commitment to engage in partnerships with EU organizations and institutions to support education, training and research. WSEI has a department of Computer Science leading up-to-date degree studies in Computer Science offering 4 specialisations such as Graphics and Multimedia, Databases and Business Intelligence, Programming and Web technologies and Networks and information security. All of them involve hands-on developing activities for which testing skills are of high relevance.
How will you contribute to the Software Testing Academy project?
WSEI will oversee good educational practices and conformance to educational standards, especially during the development of the novel training model. WSEI will also co-lead the development of training materials and tools as well as will contribute to the development of the gamified e-Learning platform and resources. Furthermore, they will participate in the implementation of the pilot online trainings.
Do you want any further information about the Project?
You can leave a message here.