Software students claim top spot in regional competition

26 November 2018

Five undergraduates named The Defectives University Challenge winners

Computing students from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) have proved they are the best software coders in the North West after winning an industry competition.

Five final year students, who are based at the Preston Campus, were named The Defectives University Challenge winners after beating off competition from rival North West institutions.

The competition was designed to be a fun introduction into software testing and development, with a competitive edge as teams worked together to find defects on specific websites, timed against the clock.

Sascha Brunner, a member of the winning team, said: “It was really exciting. The moment when we got announced as the first-place winner was overwhelming.

"Being able to apply our skills in this fun and competitive way, when you usually only get in touch with them in quite theoretical ways, is very refreshing."

“Events like these are a very motivating way to shake things up a bit. Being able to apply our skills in this fun and competitive way, when you usually only get in touch with them in quite theoretical ways, is very refreshing.”

The event was organised by ROQ, a Chorley-based strategic software testing solutions company.

Nicky Danino, Principal Lecturer in Computing, said: “There is a need for more software testers and The Defectives supports ROQ’s drive to engage with the next generation of software testing professionals.

“Through this competition, ROQ is looking for people with determination, curiosity, logic and an inquisitive nature, along with sound technical skills and being a team player, as they are the future of this industry.”