Software Testing Education and Industry Needs - Report from the ENACTEST EU Project

TL;DR

This paper investigates the competencies software testers need in industry and the gaps in current education by conducting industry-focused focus groups and interviews, complemented by a scoping review. Using a mixed-method, qualitative design and thematic analysis, it identifies informal, mentoring-driven training as predominant, along with gaps in AI and security testing and in translating theory to practice. The ENACTEST project translates these insights into 17 educational capsules that cover about 79% of identified needs, with validation against the literature confirming remaining gaps that require live, in-context experiences. The work provides actionable guidance for aligning software testing education with industry practices and outlines a concrete plan for expanding capsule-based materials to broaden adoption across academia and industry.

Abstract

The evolving landscape of software development demands that software testers continuously adapt to new tools, practices, and acquire new skills. This study investigates software testing competency needs in industry, identifies knowledge gaps in current testing education, and highlights competencies and gaps not addressed in academic literature. This is done by conducting two focus group sessions and interviews with professionals across diverse domains, including railway industry, healthcare, and software consulting and performing a curated small-scale scoping review. The study instrument, co-designed by members of the ENACTEST project consortium, was developed collaboratively and refined through multiple iterations to ensure comprehensive coverage of industry needs and educational gaps. In particular, by performing a thematic qualitative analysis, we report our findings and observations regarding: professional training methods, challenges in offering training in industry, different ways of evaluating the quality of training, identified knowledge gaps with respect to academic education and industry needs, future needs and trends in testing education, and knowledge transfer methods within companies. Finally, the scoping review results confirm knowledge gaps in areas such as AI testing, security testing and soft skills.

Figures (2)

• Figure 1: Mixed-method study design to collect qualitative data about industrial needs
• Figure 2: Classification of training needs and practices - themes and codes represented based on frequency