The Test Lab—Making a Social Impact While Having Fun

Wednesday, October 18 and Thursday, October 19

Big news! Already a popular networking event at STAREAST and STARWEST conferences, now STARCANADA will be hosting an inaugural test lab in Toronto. The test lab is where you get to "break" software for a good cause and have some fun at the same time. The test lab will focus on testing Humanitarian Toolbox code, which is code from applications that have become vital resources for many disaster relief organizations. 

Even more exciting is that the inaugural STARCANADA test lab will take place in partnership with PLATO Testing, an organization truly making a social impact by helping the Aboriginal people of Canada become experts in software testing. In fact, several current Aboriginal testing students from the PLATO Testing organization will be attending STARCANADA on scholarship and assisting other attendees while working in the test lab. So, make a difference and stop by the test lab area at the conference to test some code, support Canadian Aboriginal testers, and have some fun all at the same time!

The test lab is a free networking event included in your STARCANADA conference registration—register now.

More about PLATO Testing

PLATO (Professional Aboriginal Testing Organization, Inc.) Testing provides outsourced testing solutions to clients throughout North America, with a focus on projects that would have previously been sent offshore. PLATO Testing was started by PQA Testing founder, Keith McIntosh, an industry veteran, who wanted to address the technology talent shortage in Canada and bring meaninful training and employment to Aboriginal people. In Canada, Aboriginal people are a fast growing population that are simultaneously experiencing under employment and lower enterpreneurial opportunities. Keith McIntosh along with PQA Testing endeavoured to create employment opportunities in New Brunswick, but faced challenges finding enough good people to fill the roles. They could have gone offshore as others have done and find a partner in another country to give a greater scalability, but they wanted the work to stay within Canada. They saw the need to combine the two challenges and believed that they could provide an on-going training program to produce qualified software testers. So, they created an independent company designed to provide good employment opportunities with solid career paths in an energetic growth industry for our Aboriginal communities. Way to go, PLATO Testing!