The Kenya ICT Board has signed a contract with Carnegie Mellon University to design a definitive examination for Kenyan software developers, which it hopes to develop as a global benchmark.
The new exam, which will be piloted in the next 15 months and go into full production within two years, will test graduating software developers on their practical capabilities to enter the job market. It will be priced at between $200 and $500 per exam, depending on uptake.
With the Kenyan IT services industry growing, and the country emerging as a regional leader in software development, the aim of the venture is to give the sector access to highly-trained and certified individuals to accelerate this growth and persuade global companies to set up in Kenya.
There is already a range of international software courses offered in Kenya, from bodies including the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), as well as Microsoft and Sun Microsystems, but most are paper-based examinations that do not test the abilities of developers to write high-quality code.
“While they do have value, it is possible to pass them and be completely incompetent,” said Philip Miller of the School of Computer Science, at Carnegie Mellon. “The Kenyan examination will not be like that.”
Miller said the new internationally recognised certification would help Kenya avoid going the same route as India, which Miller said had produced thousands of software developers that were simply not up to the job.
The initial aim is to certify approximately 1 000 software developers every year, though eventually, Miller hopes to be training more. However, the number of certified developers will also depend on the size of the talent pool applying for certification.
“I have every reason to believe that we can train and certify plenty of people. But people who certify will do so by demonstrating their competency to write software. You have a very clear standard, and then people can measure up to it or not.”
The intention is for the examination to become an essential exit qualification, both in Kenyan and global universities.
With Kenya seeking to become a major player in the software development sector, the ICT Board and Carnegie Mellon hope to set an international standard with the new certification. “We want people in other countries all using the same exam,” said Miller. “Global adoption of the qualification is the goal.”
Yet, the primary focus of the examination, which will test both basic and complex software development and coding against international standards, is specifically geared to proving the skills and employability of young Kenyan developers to international companies.
“We want an exam that tests skills that big companies actually need. People have to have confidence that everything is fair,” said Miller.
The project comes at a time when IT and software education is high on the list of priorities, as Kenya experiences a surge in Internet use and seeks to position itself as a technological hub.
The Kenya ICT Board is also introducing its own Incubation Programme to develop IT skills in young people that will fuel both domestic and international companies. The African eDevelopment Resource Centre runs extensive training courses in Kenya, while the non-profit Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT) offers industry-based training to young people throughout the country.
Other top-end IT training in the country is provided by Software Technologies, which offers Bachelors and Masters courses for IT professionals through its Institute of Software Technologies. The government-established Bondo University College School of Computer Science is also focused on driving Kenyans into highly competent technological development.
Together, these offerings add up to a significant campaign on the part of the government, companies and non-profit organisations to educate Kenyans in both basic and professional IT.
“We want to get into the realm of actually building the technology,” says Bondo's Dr Kefa Rabah. “We want to change the way we perceive technology. That is the way we want to go as Kenyans.”
The focus for Miller, however, is on getting a new and far more accurate certification examination off the ground.
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