The number of well-trained software testers in Germany reached a new record last year. The German Testing Board (GTB) has issued the 20,000th „Certified Tester Foundation Level“ (CTFL) certificate. In addition, the association received the 25,000th registration for a „Certified Tester Foundation Level“ (CTFL) exam. The GTB is in charge of the Germany-wide implementation of this certification, which is recognized worldwide, and which is continually further developed by the International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB). The executive committee of the GTB sees the record numbers as an important affirmation of its own work:

„We have been noting a steady increase in participation and exam figures for some considerable time, but for us the 20,000 and the 25,000 mark are nevertheless records. In my opinion, this shows that we are in the process of establishing a standard in the training and qualification of software testers in Germany,” says Tilo Linz, Chairman of the GTB’s executive committee.

The two records were achieved by Tobias Klöppel and Markus Hack: Klöppel has successfully passed the 20,000th CTFL exam held in Germany, Hack is the 25,000th candidate to register for the exam, which he also passed. Both received from Tilo Linz a letter each from the GTB executive committee and an Apple iPad as a thankyou for their decision in favor of the certification.

Fundamentals for effective and efficient testing
Tobias Klöppel is a graduated social scientist, who has for over four years worked for think consult, a Munich consultancy firm specialized in innovation, process and test management. As a test specialist, he performs amongst others acceptance tests for market launches, where software consistently plays a role. When his line managers proposed the Certified Tester training to him, he agreed immediately.

„As social scientist I know inherently a lot about empiricism, evaluation and interpretation. In the fields of test case design techniques, test structuring and review, however, there was a lot for me to learn. In the context of future projects, this will facilitate more effective test planning and more efficient implementation. In addition, I now speak the language of the developers as it were – this makes the job in hand a lot easier.”

When Markus Hack registered for the CTFL exam, he already had 10 years of experience as software tester: The graduate communications engineer had worked a long time for Ericsson in Germany and Sweden and was employed at Vodafone, before he became self-employed as a freelance tester. He wants to acquire the certificate mainly as a proof of his knowledge, which he as a self-employed person is required to demonstrate in order to win orders. The further training, however, brings Markus Hack more than just the desired proof:     

„Previously, I often tested according to ‚best practice‘, i.e. case-related experiences. This is not bad in itself, but often standards and uniform procedures are more efficient. In my further training I have acquired a lot of know-how with regard to such standards and I have also learnt when and how to use them to their best effect.”

GTB Chairman Tilo Linz underlines the thoughts of both: „IT systems become increasingly complex, and software becomes more and more elaborate and error-prone. This demands a lot of software testers. Whoever wants to do a good testing job, must have a lot of know-how – comprehensive training is therefore indispensable.”

Best prospects for Certified Testers
The number of experts that share this view is growing steadily: When back in 2006 a total of 2,145 participants took the „Foundation Level“ and „Advanced Level“ exams, this figure last year totalled already 3,093. The new ISTQB “Expert Level” for experienced software testers will only be offered in the course of 2012.

The total number of certified students, employees and self-employed persons in Germany currently runs at 21,700. One reason why the certificate is so sought-after is certainly the fact that word has spread about its value in further training. Another reason is definitely the fact that the certificate starts to also become accepted by employers: „When sampling the popular job portals, we note again and again that a growing number of the advertised jobs for software testers specify the “Certified Tester” as being beneficial for an application. In November, the certificate was mentioned in more than a third of the job adverts known to us“, says Tilo Linz. And he also assesses the future prospects for certified testers as very good: According to GTB estimates, the demand for these experts will further increase also in 2012.

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