A Training Portal for a Professional Development Platform

Switzerland is one of the most innovative, stable, and competitive economies in the world, with one of the lowest unemployment rates. And one of the main factors playing a significant role in such success is the Swiss vocational education and training system (aka VET). It offers students who have received compulsory education an effective combination of part-time classroom instructions and paid workplace training or apprenticeship at a hosting company.Our client has decided to introduce this model to other countries, as VET has proven to be extremely beneficial both for young individuals who are striving to build a career and for the companies that have an opportunity to essentially shape and mold professionals that meet all of the entity’s requirements.The goal was to develop a digital professional development platform. It should become an easy-to-use tool for launching online courses (corporate, self-paced, instructor-led, etc.) and offering students access to interactive online education that helps them obtain new skills with ease.As the solution is targeted toward people who undergo specific professional training (e.g., to start a career in the IT field), the platform should be multifunctional and adaptable to serve as a part of a hybrid educational program where in-person training can be augmented by on-demand digital lessons.

As Light IT Global’s team didn’t create the whole solution from scratch, it was our responsibility to make sure the newly-developed software perfectly matches the existing professional development platform in every respect. To deliver a modern, stable, and scalable digital product, our experts utilized multiple reliable instruments, including Angular and Node.js for web development and React Native for mobile development.The choice of tech stack was determined by multiple aspects. Firstly, it is the project’s specifics and the necessity to fit new features into the system that was developed earlier. Secondly, the client hired Light IT Global’s developers to enhance an already assembled tech crew, which also influenced the implementation process.One of the greatest technical challenges we had to resolve during the development phase is the solution’s accessibility. As the professional development platform would be used via different types of devices (including less powerful ones), the goal was to make sure everything works perfectly even when the user’s web or mobile device is less capable and the Internet connection is not very stable.Another milestone included the development of functionality that would make the professional development platform more interactive and engaging for the students. To achieve that, we have created a portal that provides users with access to online classrooms, multiple tests related to the chosen course, and work with different types of educational materials, including video lessons.A live chat for tutors helps every person involved in the educational process build meaningful connections and receive relevant feedback from others. Elements like custom emojis and thumbs-up/down ratings make it easier and more appealing.To ensure the highest quality and security of the newly introduced functionality, our QA engineers implemented automation testing, which also helped to optimize the process, boost productivity, and reduce the time required to run tests.

During the cooperation period, Light IT Global’s team helped our client develop a multifunctional student portal with virtual classrooms, interactive online lessons, various types of exercises, and auxiliary digital educational materials. A live chat for tutors establishes real-time communication as well as live feedback from the audience.Our experts also made sure the solution works flawlessly on any type of device, either web or mobile and that the device’s low capacity won’t have a negative impact on the educational process.Incorporating automation testing into the QA cycle also facilitated the development process and decreased time-to-market for the new features.

After the work on the project was finished, our client’s digital product became even more attractive to a larger audience. The system’s capacity and accessibility were improved, and the number of available features increased. This allowed the brand to expand its existing customer base and offer a professional development platform to both small educational businesses and large enterprises. At the moment, the company utilizes several monetization models like direct sales, premium access, and subscription-based payments. There also are different types of subscriptions tailored to cater to businesses of different sizes. This provides our client with the necessary flexibility and customization options. Our client also successfully partners with several educational organizations and social initiatives like Digital Africa, Institute of Capability Development, and others.