PLATO Testing

PLATO Testing PLATO is Canada’s largest Indigenous-owned software testing and technology services company.

For nearly 30 years, we've helped our global clients deliver better systems, while creating Indigenous careers across Canada through our train-to-employ program. PLATO is an incorporated software testing company that is currently owned by PQA. PQA Testing developed and launched a six month tester training program that consisted of four months of classroom/lab work and a two month internship. The A

boriginal software testing training program provides trainees with the opportunity to find a passion for software testing in an industry setting and to qualify as entry level software testers with referenceable work experience. Aboriginal communities are the youngest and fastest growing demographic in Canada and are chronically under-employed. Having software testers that are trained and employed in Canada supports our economy by bringing revenue to our provinces. Further, software testing lends itself to working remotely, which creates opportunities to work within Aboriginal communities while servicing clients globally. The goal is for PLATO to be Aboriginally-owned, led and staffed, and ultimately, reach Aboriginal communities nationwide. There is tremendous potential to expand within Aboriginal communities, as well as rural communities in general, and create even more jobs in the future.

🎙️ A new episode of PLATO Panel Talks is here!What happens when your role shifts from doing the work to helping others g...
09/03/2026

🎙️ A new episode of PLATO Panel Talks is here!

What happens when your role shifts from doing the work to helping others grow?

Mike Hrycyk sits down with Heather Stapleton and Ellery Furlong to talk about mentoring, coaching, and management in tech, and the lessons they've learned along the way.

From building trust and supporting quieter team members to adapting your mentoring style and knowing when to step back, this conversation explores what it really takes to help others grow in their technology careers.

🎧 Check out From Tester to Leader: Mentoring, Coaching & Management in Tech wherever you listen to PLATO Panel Talks! https://bit.ly/Tester2Leader

08/05/2026

🐞 Bug of the Month

When you're new to software testing, sometimes the hardest part isn't finding a bug; it's knowing whether you've actually found one or made a mistake yourself.

For apprentice software tester Sacha Zaverganietz, a complicated timesheet test script had her questioning just that. With the support of a colleague, she ran the test again. And again.

That persistence uncovered a showstopper bug that was causing some hours to be charged to the previous day. Sacha and her colleague documented the issue, submitted a defect report to the developer, and helped get the problem on track to be fixed in the next software update.

For Sacha, the experience was about more than finding a critical defect. It helped her build confidence in her testing skills—and learn that she doesn't have to figure everything out alone.

"It gave me the confidence to let go of needing to be the one to decide, did I do it incorrectly?"

Great testing takes curiosity, persistence, and a team behind you.

07/08/2026

🎙️ PLATO Summer Rewind

What do you do when a deadline feels impossible?

In this clip from PLATO Panel Talks, Afshin Shahabi shares how a testing challenge turned into an opportunity to rethink the process.

The team had 100 test cases to complete in three days, but no matter how they tried, they couldn't finish them in time.

Instead of accepting that the timeline wasn't possible, Afshin looked for a better way.

By introducing automation into the process, the team reduced the time needed to prepare and execute testing, bringing the timeline down from six days to just two and a half days.

A great reminder that sometimes meeting a deadline isn't about working harder—it's about finding a smarter approach.

💬 Have you ever solved a tough problem by changing the process instead of just putting in more hours?

🎧 Hear the full conversation from PLATO Panel Talks: https://bit.ly/TestingDeadlineStories

Today, we celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day by recognizing the Indigenous communities represented among PLATO's ...
06/21/2026

Today, we celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day by recognizing the Indigenous communities represented among PLATO's students and employees.

As an Indigenous-owned company, we are proud to have team members and learners from many First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities across Canada. This graphic was created using the names of those communities as a small reflection of the people who help shape PLATO every day.
Happy National Indigenous Peoples Day.

06/18/2026

New look, bigger impact! With PLATO’s new logo and brand, we are unifying decades of technical expertise with our passion for social impact and showcasing IT investment as a driver of meaningful change.

Inspired by Indigenous craft, this new look and feel reflects how attention at the smallest level builds strength and intention at scale.

06/12/2026

“It was great to combine both of those worlds together—technical and community.”

When we talk about improving AI, a lot of the focus is on models, tools, and outputs. But in this clip, Jason Kicknosway shares a simpler truth: better results come from better perspectives.

By bringing together community-based thinking and technical testing, the team was able to approach AI in a more balanced, practical way, shaping how it’s tested, how it’s used, and who it works for.

It’s a reminder that building better technology doesn’t just come from more data.

It comes from who’s at the table.

If your team is exploring AI and trying to figure out how to test it in a more practical, human-centred way, we’re always happy to connect.

🎧 Listen to the full episode of PLATO Panel Talks: https://bit.ly/paneltalks-ai

06/08/2026

Ever had something work perfectly… until it suddenly doesn’t?

Brielle, a software testing apprentice at PLATO, was testing an internal AI tool when she noticed something strange. After a few prompts, the chatbot just stopped responding.

Once that was fixed, she kept testing and found something else!

The chatbot was no longer providing source links, meaning users couldn’t verify the information it was giving.

What’s interesting is that this second issue only showed up because she kept going beyond the initial retest.

💡 A great reminder: sometimes the most important bugs are the ones you find after you think you’re done testing.

How do you actually test AI and make sure it’s trustworthy? 🎙 Meet the panel behind our latest PLATO Panel Talks episode...
06/05/2026

How do you actually test AI and make sure it’s trustworthy?

🎙 Meet the panel behind our latest PLATO Panel Talks episode.

Mike Hrycyk is joined by Jesslyn Dymond (TELUS) and Jason Kicknosway (PLATO) to explore how AI testing is evolving from prompt engineering and real-world testing to governance, guardrails, and human oversight.

They also share insights from a hands-on collaboration that brought together technical expertise and Indigenous perspectives to better understand how AI behaves across different users, languages, and contexts.

🎧 Listen now: https://bit.ly/paneltalks-ai

AI is everywhere right now—but how do you actually make it work responsibly?In this episode of PLATO Panel Talks, we div...
06/03/2026

AI is everywhere right now—but how do you actually make it work responsibly?

In this episode of PLATO Panel Talks, we dive into what it really takes to build AI systems people can trust.

Mike Hrycyk is joined by Jesslyn Dymond (TELUS) and Jason Kicknosway (PLATO) to talk about:
• what happens when testers start working hands-on with AI
• why small changes in prompts can completely change results
• and why diverse perspectives, especially Indigenous perspectives, matter more than ever

It’s a real-world look at AI beyond the hype 👇

🎧 Listen now: https://bit.ly/paneltalks-ai

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