While current-day software success stories are impressive in SA, the industry as a whole is as vulnerable as ever to overruns and poor quality.
So says Trevor Luyt, MD of software quality testing company SQS South Africa, who explains that, even though there have been huge strides and changes in technologies, programming languages and methodologies, the speed and rate of change and the complexity of the environment within which newly developed software has to operate means that familiar problems continue to dog the industry.
“The challenges that exist for the South African software industry today arguably existed 10 and 20 years ago and would relate to the ability to deliver large software development projects on time, in scope and in budget,” he says.
Compounding this problem in the local market is the challenge of the basic supply and demand of talent, he adds.
“The demand is both local and international, so we've lost many a good software engineer to other countries. We need to be able to reverse this and retain talent. The supply, through the flaws and inadequacies in our education system, is not yielding its full potential.”
To overcome the challenges, Luyt says that, at the macro level, an investor-friendly environment should be created that fosters growth in the ICT sector through initiatives that might include cheaper bandwidth and tax incentives for start-ups or growth companies.
“It's also about addressing the level of education being delivered in the schooling system,” he adds.
At the micro-level, he notes that local companies can also play a big role in bridging the skills shortage gap by introducing creative in-house programmes geared towards developing talent.
“Skills and talent have to be fostered and nurtured, and yet the woes of our education system are well-known and publicised. As long as this remains a work in progress, it is the challenge of corporate SA to drive through meaningful learning and development programmes that can make a difference quickly.”
On its part, SQS says it continues to invest in its software-testing boot camp, which addresses the lack of comprehensive training in SA for the IT discipline of software quality and testing.
The company explains that its boot camp forms part of its proactive skills development strategy, and has been designed to provide opportunities for both South African and international IT professionals who are looking for a career in the burgeoning software quality and testing sector.
Fifty-five successful South African applicants will attend the boot camp during the course of this year, and will subsequently work in the company's Durban and Johannesburg offices.
“The testing market is growing exponentially, and this training programme provides local IT professionals with the relevant skills needed to achieve success in this arena,” says Luyt.
“This is the only local programme of its kind to offer participants such a solid grounding in this discipline, and our expectation is that it will spur further developments of its kind around the country.”
In a statement, SQS says the boot camp induction programme is an intensive, three-week long training course, which covers everything from technical know-how to professional business etiquette.
The programme has been designed to provide employees with a holistic overview of business processes, as well as the specialist skills required to ensure optimal performance, it adds.
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