Press Release 1

QAI Announces Entry Level Certification for Software Testers
QAI will provide CAST, after having established the international standard for software testing practitioners and certifying 35000+ IT professionals worldwide.


New Delhi, November 21st, 2008 : The QAI Global Institute (www.qaiworldwide.com), which administers Software Certifications' examinations, having certified in excess of 35,000 professionals worldwide in 43 countries on the international standard for software testing practitioner certifications, Certified Software Tester (CSTE), announced the launch of their entry level certification called Certified Associate of Software Testing (CAST).

The top ten IT firms in India, including Infosys with 10,000 testers, Wipro with 12,000, Cognizant with 9500 and Satyam with 8000 in the testing division, have been quick in creating large independent testing practices in-house. However, the challenge these companies face is in finding the right talent. The figures indicate that hardly 9 to 10 % of the output from 17000 + Engineering colleges and 300 + universities are employable. This iterates the need to have standards at entry level so that the employability quotient can be increased.

Software certifications (www.softwarecertifications.org) are increasingly being taken up by large organizations to give their employees global recognition. Accenture has over 2000 and Infosys has over 4400 professionals certified, which is testimony to the growing trend. These certifications are taken to consistently assess the employee's skill sets. For example, the graph of a testing professional could be assessed on his skills and experience at various levels. The entry level certification examination is called CAST (Certified Associate in Software Testing) after which the individual can become a CSTE (Certified Software Tester). Post that, he can get recognized as a CMST (Certified Manager of Software Testing).

“In the current scenario, when the organizations are watching their top and bottom line closely, there is a need to decrease induction time and improve productivity which requires skilled individuals. The IT certification market will grow, as more certification providers deploy more job role-based certifications. This foundation level certification provides us a great opportunity to build competency and capability amongst software community by proving them with assessed individuals who are readily deployable" said Navyug Mohnot, CEO, QAI.

The CAST examination is made up of objective questions covering the 10 knowledge domains of QAI’s Software Testing Common Body of Knowledge (CBoK). The CAST examination will be available worldwide starting January 2009.

Since it's inception in 1988, the Software Certifications (www.softwarecertifications.org) division of QAI Global Institute has certified professionals in countries like Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, United Kingdom, Thailand, Philippines, United Arab Emirates and the United States amidst others. Their certifications, CSQA and CSTE, are the recognized international standard for quality and testing professionals.

About QAI :
QAI is a leading global consulting organization addressing ‘Operational Excellence' in IT, BPO and Knowledge intensive service organizations. QAI’s “Operational Excellence” thrust includes addressing the areas of Process Management, Quality Management, Innovation Management, Project Management, IT Service Management, to name a few areas. An integrated and deep set of interventions by QAI in client organizations results in operational efficiencies, quality, customer satisfaction and competitiveness in the target companies.

Part of QAI’s portfolio worldwide includes Training, Assessments and Certifications in the above mentioned areas. Globally recognized certifications such as the Certified Software Quality Analyst (CSQA), the Certified Software Tester (CSTE) and Certified Software Project Manager (CSPM) are QAI offerings. About a year ago, the company embarked upon creating international Education and Training products and services to address the Competence Development, Assessments and Certifications areas to cater to the large pool of manpower requiring skills for increased employability. E-learning, VSAT based delivery and blended learning approaches have been taken.

QAI’s regional bases across the globe in the US, Singapore, China, Malaysia, UK, Canada and India helps to innovatively distribute and manage engagements across multiple locations. QAI clients include IBM, Accenture, Wipro, Prudential, Genpact, American Express, Sony, TataMotors and 200 others across 30 countries.

About Software Certifications:
Software Certifications, a division of QAI, had its beginning in 1980 as the Quality Assurance Institute and was established as a professional association formed to represent the quality assurance profession. The first certification began development in 1985 and the first formal examination process was launched in 1990. Today, Software Certifications, administered by QAI, is global. Since its inception, Software Certifications has certified over 35,000 IT professionals in 43 countries on 6 continents in the world.

Press Release 2

Industry Leaders to Address the Next Wave of Testing at STC 2008
QAI announces the 8th Annual International Software Testing Conference (STC 2008) in Bangalore on Nov 24-25, 2008


New Delhi, November 4, 2008 : QAI (www.qaiglobal.com), the leading Operational Excellence consulting firm, recently announced the “The Second Wave of Testing” as the theme of their Software Testing Conference (STC) 2008. Dealing with the important aspects of synchronization, specialization, and standardization, this event focuses on highlighting trends, innovations, techniques, technologies, strategies, and best practices undertaken in the industry. With more than 600+ delegates expected, the conference, in its 8th year, celebrates India’s global leadership in Software Testing. The conference is a key player in bringing together practitioners and thought leaders from the Industry, Academia and Government, for sharing and exchanging ideas and learning in the area of Software Testing & Process improvement. The two day conference will be followed by post-conference tutorials across various cities.

STC 2008, organized in association with the Edista Testing Institute (ETI), is supported by various Software Process Improvement Networks (SPINs), CSI’s Special Interest Group on Software Engineering (CSI-SIG), Test Republic and sponsored by corporates like HP Software, Accenture, iTKO LISA, AceQa, Landis+Gyr, and the D. E. Shaw group. The conference will also see Illustrious speakers including Sashi Reddi, Chairman - Applabs Technologies, Michel Guez, Managing Director – Smartesting, Murali Krishnan, Director – Testing Services and Operations – Cognizant Technologies and Ranjana Narawane , Lead Technology Capabilities- Accenture among others.

Delegates attending will be the representatives from the leading software companies in the Asia Pacific region including CTOs, CXOs, Testing Experts, Consultants and Trainers, Offshore Testing Center Heads, Testing Managers, Test Center Heads and Practitioners, Software Engineers and Developers, Project Managers, Team leaders, and others. There has also been widespread interest from various international delegations like Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Australia, to participate in the conference as it offers one of the rare opportunities to meet the industry experts and gurus.

Recognizing the leadership position, practitioners from various Testing organizations contest for The Testing Leadership Award at the conference. This year, the conference has received over 330+ Best Papers & Practices submitted this year from over 85 high maturity companies across the world.

For over 15 years, QAI has brought together international representatives and recognized thought-leaders to share information, learn new software quality processes, and discuss software practices through a number of prestigious events like Asia SEPG Conference, Project Management Leadership Conference (PML), 'Software Estimation Colloquium (SEC), IT Service Management Conference (ITSM)' and the International Software Testing Conference (STC),

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