Willetton Senior High School student Song Yi Loo has achieved a 90 per cent score in the foundation level of the International Software Testing Qualifications Board testing exam.<\/p>\n
The globally accredited exam tests knowledge of the fundamental concepts behind software testing. Most candidates who sit the exam are university IT degree graduates or IT professionals with at least six months\u2019 experience.<\/p>\n
Loo, meanwhile, is just 17-years-old. He\u2019s not even halfway through year 12.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to sit the exam to extend my knowledge of software testing. It was quite difficult, so I was surprised I got such a good score,\u201d Loo reveals.<\/p>\n
Loo undertook the exam with support from the Autism Academy for Software Quality Assurance<\/a> (AASQA) \u2013 a Curtin social initiative that aims to cultivate the IT talents of young people on the autism spectrum \u2013 and sponsors Planit Testing and BHP.<\/p>\n Loo was among the first students to join the academy and its CoderDojo program<\/a>, where he worked on his digital animation and programming skills under the guidance of Curtin mentors.<\/p>\n Last year, AASQA organised work placements for Loo at Curtin Information Technology Services<\/a> (CITS) and Bankwest Enterprise Services division. At CITS, Loo had the opportunity to conduct software testing and data rationalisation and record data anomalies in the computer architecture.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was quite an eye-opening experience for me because I didn\u2019t just do software testing. By the end of it, I was assisting in software development and had some coding opportunities,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n CITS service delivery project manager Jess Sertis, who oversaw Loo\u2019s placement at Curtin, believes the IT industry has benefitted immensely<\/a> from employing people on the autism spectrum.<\/p>\n \u201cThe IT industry employs a large number of people who have autism, because of their attention to detail and their diligence in looking for problems and determining solutions,\u201d Sertis says.<\/p>\n