Written by JOYITA SENGUPTA, The Globe and Mail

Shawnee Polchis-Lanteigne went from working at a call centre in New Brunswick to a job in information technology. The career transition was made possible through a training program that helps Indigenous people get vital skills as software testers with a guaranteed job offer at the end.

“Aboriginal people have a keen eye for differences and that’s very key for software testing because you need to find things that the average Joe wouldn’t find,” said Ms. Polchis-Lanteigne, who heard of the training opportunity that lead to her new job through her aunt.

WRITTEN BY ABORIGINAL BUSINESS MATCH

When the team at PLATO Testing decided to attend The Aboriginal Business Match (ABM), the biggest unknown was time. The idea of preparing for 31 pre-scheduled appointments in the span of 2.5 days sounded taxing, recalls Jarett Nickerson, Director of Sales and Marketing at PLATO Testing.

FROM PLATO TESTING HEADQUARTERS

VANCOUVER, BC – PLATO Testing is proud to announce the first Aboriginal Software Tester Training Course in British Columbia launched on October 3rd in Vancouver, BC.  This is in partnership with PQA Testing and the Native Education College (NEC).  In attendance was PLATO Testing President Denis Carignan, as well as PQA Testing Co-CEO Christin Wiedemann. 

Written by Joint Economic Development Initiative

FREDERICTON, NB - Megan Ginnish, of Esgenoopetitj First Nation, is a committed, outgoing, and hardworking individual. She is always willing to take on the unexpected challenges that work and life bring her.

From PLATO Testing Headquarters

FREDERICTON, NB - PLATO Testing today announced the joining of Denis Carignan as President of the ProfessionaL Aboriginal Testing Organization (PLATO Testing) team.  Denis joins the team with years of experience in the public service working with Indigenous Affairs and Northern Development Canada.

Written by David Bartlett, CBC News  

MIRAMICHI, NB - A company that hopes to eventually train hundreds of Aboriginal people to become software testers has opened a new office in Miramichi.

The Professional Aboriginal Testing Organization — or PLATO — is a sister company of the Fredericton-based software company Professional Quality Assurance (PQA).

The Miramichi office will be the third software-testing site in New Brunswick and the sixth across Canada for the company.

Written by Huddle Staff, Huddle Today

MIRAMICHI, NB - PQA Testing announced today the grand opening of their PLATO Testing office in Miramichi and $250,000 worth of funding from the Frank McKenna Miramichi Technology Fund.

The announcement was made at the grand opening of the new Miramichi office. PQA and PLATO founder Keith McIntosh says the location was chosen because it is central for a number of Aboriginal communities.

From the Office of the Premier

FREDERICTON, NB - A total of 145 new jobs in the information technology (IT) sector will be created with the establishment and expansion of a new Aboriginal software testing company, Premier Brian Gallant announced today.

Written by Cara Smith, Huddle Today

FREDERICTON, NB - Keith McIntosh has a vision for software testing in New Brunswick.

The co-CEO of Professional Quality Assurance Ltd. (PQA Testing) is helping to both localize software testing to the province and provide aboriginal communities with training and employment opportunities.

Interview with Keith McIntosh, Founder of PLATO Testing

FREDERICTON, NB - In the last few months, we at PQA Testing have started talking about a new business initiative.

We are very excited about the potential impact this idea has. The reception we are receiving from everyone we speak with is also very encouraging.

I wanted to share some of these details and invite you to participate and help make this idea bloom.

Written by Jason Boies, Opportunities New Brunswick

FREDERICTON, NB - New Brunswick-based, Professional Quality Assurance Ltd (PQA) is a leading independent solutions provider of quality assurance and software testing services.

Most recently launching the Aboriginal Software Tester Training Program, founder Keith McIntosh discusses the new initiative.