A4Q (Alliance for Qualification) is an international network that provides practical training and certification for professionals in the field of software quality. Founded by the certifiers GASQ and iSQI, A4Q supplements existing theoretical standards such as ISTQB with practice-oriented formats, including the “Practical Tester” certification, in which AI-supported learning environments teach concrete testing skills instead of pure book knowledge.
Key Takeaways
- A4Q (Alliance for Qualification) breaks down barriers to further training by offering low-threshold course material and examinations in five languages, so that trainers in regions without established providers can also get started.
- The A4Q Practical Tester complements the ISTQB standard not as a competitor, but as a practice-oriented add-on: candidates practice on real scenarios such as test plan creation and defect reporting instead of setting multiple-choice crosses.
- AI-supported exam questions in the Practical Tester are filled and corrected exclusively by experts, which means that incorrect user input does not change the model, and the final certification decision is still made by a human.
- The annual A4Q Testing Summit provides all presentations free of charge and permanently online, reaching millions of people, including attendees from countries that could not afford conference tickets.
What is the Alliance for Qualification (A4Q)?
The Alliance for Qualification, A4Q for short, is an association that qualifies specialists in the software industry. The name describes the program: “Alliance for Qualification. And that says it all. It’s about the qualification of specialists,” explains Stephan Goericke.
A4Q is backed by the two globally active certifiers GASQ and iSQI as well as a number of other partners. The basic idea is that individual solutions, where each provider works on its own, do not produce the best results on the market. The training market is highly dynamic and trends need to be picked up quickly.
A4Q therefore functions as a platform. Experts from different regions come together there to develop training courses, exams and conferences. The initiative emerged during the pandemic from large virtual conferences and has grown into a network that produces content in line with the needs of the industry.
Why A4Q lowers the barriers for training providers
A4Q provides low-threshold course material and exams so that access to knowledge is not limited by money or region. For many providers who want to set up training courses in their regions, the development of training material is a major hurdle.
This is exactly where the model comes in. A4Q supplies the course material, provides the exams and translates them into five languages. In this way, the courses also reach colleagues in regions where no other training provider is active, for example in South America, Asia, Eastern Europe or Africa.
The effect is measurable in terms of reach. A4Q now reaches regions that were previously inaccessible because nobody has to invest a lot of money upfront to get started. Stephan Goericke and Werner Henschelchen also see this as a gesture: Both have been on the market with their companies for almost 20 years and want to give some of this success back to the community.
What does the A4Q Practical Tester stand for?
The A4Q Practical Tester is a certification that tests practical testing, not just theoretical knowledge. Surveys of training providers and companies revealed a clear desire: people want to go into the practical area. Theory is one thing, practical work is another.
The concept sees itself as a supplement to established standards, not as competition. The content basis continues to come from the ISTQB, which sets the standard in testing with over one million certified people worldwide. The Practical Tester covers what goes beyond this.
Specifically, it deals with activities from the day-to-day work of a tester:
- How do I write a test schedule?
- How do I report a defect?
- How do I actually find errors in a specific system?
Werner Henschelchen describes the core as a shift from knowledge to ability: “Up to now, it has always been in the area of knowledge. You learned something, you had knowledge. But now we really want to move on to teaching skills.”
How AI is changing learning and testing at Practical Tester
With the Practical Tester, an AI generates the test questions instead of providing them as a fixed PDF list. Several large language models are linked together for this purpose. The candidate receives a large number of questions and can therefore deal intensively with the material.
The technology is also used in the training itself. Instead of pure PowerPoint theory, participants work in an app on practical test cases, such as a store system in which they have to find errors. Knowledge is no longer just lectured, but applied to examples.
The limits of the system are important. It is not the AI that decides who passes, but a human.
This is really intended for learning and perhaps as an aid for the examiners, but the real exam decision is still made by a human. In the end, AI is not so good that it is infallible.
Werner Henschelchen
A4Q works according to ISO standards. The final decision on certification is made in the form of an assessment in which the candidate has to demonstrate skills and is the responsibility of the certification body.
How the language models are protected against incorrect entries
The models do not learn from the participant’s input. If someone enters something incorrectly a hundred times in the app, this does not result in the model adopting the error. Only an expert can overwrite the content. This distinguishes the A4Q application from freely available tools such as ChatGPT.
Theoretical certificates alone say little about practice
A passed certificate proves knowledge, but not necessarily the ability to apply this knowledge. Some people study specifically for the exam without gaining any practical experience. Employers know the effect: someone brings the certificate with them, but is not convincing in everyday life.
This is where the added value of the combination lies. Anyone who presents a theoretical certificate and practical proof says more about their actual skills. The application complements the standard instead of replacing it.
The launch was met with strong demand. Launched on May 1 in Budapest, it was followed by a presentation in Cape Town, and 25 further dates have been booked for the period up to summer 2025, including five cities in Germany and locations such as Havana and Sydney. The Practical Tester is initially available in English, with French following as a second language and others such as German, Spanish, Polish and Italian in preparation.
The Testing Summit gives the community access to experts
The Testing Summit is a free virtual conference that A4Q organizes annually on one day. The next date is September 9, the day of software testing. This format also emerged during Corona from the desire to give something back to the community and continued to grow after the pandemic.
The special thing about the Summit is that it works in both directions. Renowned experts give talks without being paid because they support the idea. In return, these speakers are accessible to people who would never be able to afford the travel and ticket to an in-person conference.
The summit has given rise to its own initiatives. One example is “Women in Testing”, which emerged from a women’s panel and developed its own dynamic: participants networked and now meet regularly at hybrid conferences and panel discussions.
The presentations remain available free of charge after the event and can be used for further training. The model is financed from the core business: around 80 percent of A4Q’s revenue flows back into such programs, conferences and new developments.
Where A4Q wants to go next
A4Q sees itself as a catalyst that picks up on trends early on and tries them out, even with the risk of an initiative failing. The benchmark is the needs of the market. For example, A4Q was an early adopter of AI and software testing and helped to establish certification in this area.
In terms of content, the focus is on skills training. The goal: people should not only bring theoretical university knowledge with them when they start their career, but should also have already gained practical experience and be able to continue their practical training on the job.
In addition, the focus should move beyond testing to software quality engineering. Topics such as project management, requirements engineering and software architecture are also included. In the field of testing, over 40 national boards are already working with A4Q in one form or another, which demonstrates its international reach.
The personal drive remains to reach communities that would otherwise be left out. Stations such as Havana, regions in Africa and Asia, plus countries such as Iran: A4Q reaches talented, well-educated people through such channels and gives them career prospects.
