South African software development training academy WeThinkCode has partnered with System Verification, to build a pipeline of graduates skilled in automation quality assurance (QA).
Swedish software QA firm System Verification specialises in quality monitoring and analytics.
The collaboration will see hundreds of WeThinkCode students acquire test automation skills, says a statement, noting this is in line with the academy’s target to eliminate the digital skills shortage.
WeThinkCode aims to train 100 000 coders in Africa over the next 10 years. The organisation says, to date, over 700 young people have graduated and maintain a 90% permanent placement rate post-graduation.
Hamdija Jusufagic, founder of Systems Verification, says: “In 2013, System Verification opened its office in Sarajevo. We collaborated with universities to find local talent and build a dynamic workforce whose contribution we value at the same level as our teams in Sweden.
“This commitment underpins our partnership with WeThinkCode in South Africa. We believe that partnering with a local software development academy that enrols youth from underserved communities will enable us to grow the talent pool of world-class automation QA engineers. There is no substitute for local context and boots on the ground.”
As part of the initiative, WeThinkCode students are now able to elect a specialised field after 14 months of learning software development fundamentals.
System Verification has provided its Test Star curriculum and augmented it with WeThinkCode’s curriculum to offer the automation QA elective track.
Aslam Khan, board member and co-author of the core curriculum at WeThinkCode, states. “There is an acute shortage of test automation QA engineers around the world, and this creates a huge opportunity for South Africa’s youth.
“Our partnership with System Verification is fully aligned with our mission to close the digital skills gap and put South Africa’s tech talent on the global map. Working with Hamdija and his team has been a refreshing experience of co-creating impact.”
WeThinkCode CEO Nyari Samushonga believes the long-term strategic alignment between the organisations will ultimately create more local and global opportunities for WeThinkCode graduates.
“As a growing supplier of highly-skilled and work-ready software developers, it’s critical that we keep the curriculum aligned with market demand and ensure students are adequately equipped to deliver above and beyond their fundamental programming skills to enhance their employability.”
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