As part of our efforts to level the playing field and create a more inclusive tech industry, we teamed up with Shanghai’s Youren Foundation to deliver a quality analyst training program for disabled testers.
The Youren Foundation was founded in 2016 by China’s largest organization for those with disabilities, the OnePlusOne Disability Group. One of Youren Foundation’s central goals is to empower people with disabilities around independent living and employment. It also works with organizations to promote the value of disability integration and best practice, and is a strategic partner of Thoughtworks China’s DEISSC (diversity, equity, inclusion and social change) team.
One of the Foundation’s ongoing projects is to provide software testing roles for its users and with testing deeply embedded in our work at Thoughtworks, we saw an opportunity to collaborate. Testers with disabilities are often excluded from opportunities for testing training and QA (quality analysis), and so by working together, we could all learn from each other and improve inclusivity.
Closing the gap
The trainees were a diverse group, united by their passion for testing and a desire to improve their skills. The DEISSC team spent several sessions working with them to understand their pain points, goals and needs, in order to develop more appropriate remote training. It was an opportunity to share our skills and resources, and to gain deeper insight into how to design suitable training for people with accessibility issues.
We put together a training program that could help close any competency gaps and improve each individual’s employability, including strengthening interview techniques. The training featured a series of comprehensive seminars on the fundamentals of quality analysis. Over four weeks, twenty-three Thoughtworks trainers and coaches delivered eight interactive sessions
From the feedback gathered, the training was a success. 63% of trainees reported feeling highly confident in applying the knowledge gained to their daily work and interview scenarios. For the Thoughtworks team, helping empower a group of hard-working trainees to take their skills to the next level was meaningful and rewarding.
Disclaimer: The statements and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Thoughtworks.
