Essentials Began as The Clinic
When Dan Ashby and I first created the Software Testing Clinic (affectionately known as the Clinic) one of the key motivations was to develop accessible and relevant training on testing for people starting out in the software development industry. At the time we both recognised that there was a desperate need for quality testers with modern testing skills and knowledge. So we designed the Clinic to be a free meetup where folks could learn about testing, hoping it would help address this demand.
Four years on, with the help of Ministry of Testing, the Clinic has had many successes. The meetups have grown in size and in the number of locations around the UK. Many of the learners who attended the meetups have gone on to forge awesome new careers in software testing. We went on to develop public and private training days from the meetupâs carefully crafted learning outcomes. And, I joined Ministry of Testing full time as DojoBoss.
How Can These Successes Be Improved Upon
A lot has changed and a lot has been learnt but we wonât rest on our laurels! The demand for quality testers is still a huge and global issue. So how could the Clinic improve? Good question. Well, we put our thinking caps on and identified 3 key challenges to overcome to help us deliver the next generation of training for aspiring testers:
- Access to training - a lot of training comes with a hefty price tag and this can act as a barrier for those looking to get started in the industry. Ultimately, itâs the industry thatâs missing out on a whole pool of talent and potential.
- Scaling - to make a difference on a global front we need to be able to scale our training without compromising on the quality. Currently, many large scale training providers handle this challenge by locking down whatâs taught which results in fixed ideas and activities.
- Reacting to change - with scaling comes the challenge of being able to adapt quickly to our fast-paced industry. With new tools and skills appearing all the time, scaled training providers should regularly update and roll out new training. This is a challenge in itself and becomes doubly hard when standards and accreditations have to be agreed and met.
So how can we address these challenges, and deliver modern quality training to meet the demands of our industry and community on a global scale? Another good question...
Please Welcome Ministry of Testing Essentials!
After much time spent creating and planning a new software testing training solution, weâre so unbelievably excited to announce the Ministry of Testing Essentials! With the support and expertise of the whole team at Ministry of Testing and members of the testing community, weâve updated and expanded the Clinic initiative and changed our name to Essentials. (Fun fact: the âEssentialsâ name came from Ministry of Testingâs TestBash Essentials conference aimed at helping new testers develop essential software testing knowledge and skills⌠it just makes sense!)
In a nutshell, Essentials is:
âProviding opportunities to develop essential knowledge and skills in software testing. Delivered through community-led training using modern blended learning techniques to create the next generation of quality-focused teams.â
Essentials training rises to the challenges of access, scale and adaptability by offering:
- Access to both free and affordable training that all focus on developing modern, essential testing skills and knowledge.
- A scalable but flexible approach to training that allows trainers to inject their own experiences and expertise whilst following standardised outcomes to ensure a consistent and quality learning experience.
- An adaptable community-driven curriculum that is constantly collaborated on to provide a guideline for trainers to deliver amazing, relevant training.
Essentials Training Currently On Offer
Essentials is brand new and still growing but we already have lots of training opportunities to offer you, including:
- Free meetups - hands-on sessions focused on essential testing topics facilitated by our amazing Essential hosts and supported by awesome mentors from the community who freely share their time and experience to create a safe place to learn.
- Training courses - upskill on an essentials course that offers an in-depth exploration of specific essential testing topics and is delivered by skilled trainers with real-world experience of testing and quality. You can take our new three day training course or our one day hands on training at TestBash Brighton right now.
- Online learning - learn at your own pace by starting the Essentials online learning pathway which is made up of courses covering essential testing and quality topics.
- Bespoke training - an entire Essentials syllabus will be tailored to meet your companyâs needs and upskill your testers in modern testing practises whilst enabling them to rapidly become a valuable member of a team.
If the above sounds like Essentials can meet your training needs, be sure to read our details on what Essentials is and more on the training options we currently offer.
Help Essentials Grow
This is just the beginning of an exciting journey into revolutionising software training and we hope you follow us on it and help us grow. Essentials came to be where it is today by collaborating with the testing community. This collaboration is and always will be fundamental to us offering the software testing training that the community and industry need.
We believe we still have a lot to learn and so we ask for your help. Weâve created the âState of Training Surveyâ that weâd love for you to fill in so we can hear your thoughts, opinions and wants from training.
With this survey, we hope to learn about what trends currently exist and what direction we, at Ministry of Testing, should take Essentials in the future. We will be sharing the results with the community to help trigger further discussions so make sure youâre subscribed to our Newsletter to see what we discover!
Mark - DojoBoss
