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Malaysia needs more software testers
- By Fadzilah Hj. Muhamad
- Published 29 August 2008
- IT Solutions
- Unrated
Malaysia does not have enough certified people in software testing to support the demand from our ICT (information and communications technology) industry, according to the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC). MDeC is the caretaker of the MSC Malaysia initiative.
Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, its chief executive officer, said 80,000 software testers have earned the International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB) certification worldwide. “But only 91 are Malaysians,” he said at the MSTB Software Testing Conference 2008 here recently.
He hopes the newly formed MSTB — short for Malaysian Software Testing Board — will help address this issue.
MSTB is offering ISTQB’s Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) programme as a means to increase the number of certified software testers to 300 next year.
Mastura Abdul Samah, MSTB president said software testing is currently not taken seriously as a profession because it is still considered a back-room activity ... “an afterthought.”
She feels that software testing can be a lucrative career. “Software testers can get paid as much as software developers,” she said.
There are only 91 certified software testers out of an estimated 10,000 testers in the country, according to Mastura.
Mastura said that for every developer in the country, there is only one tester. “This is a five-to-one ratio. Ideally, the ratio should be three-to-one,” she added.
The CTFL programme has three stages; foundation, advanced and professional. Certification fees range from RM500 to RM1,000 and MSTB works with local trainer Custom Media Sdn Bhd to provide training.
“The standard has been around since 2002 and CTFL signifies a level of quality control that is recognised worldwide. It also provides a methodology,” Mastura said.
Badlisham added that sound software testing methodology shortens the time to market for new products and significantly reduces development and support costs because it is far more cost effective to catch and fix an error early in the development process.
