Building an OpenEdge Developer Base: The Impact of MIP’s Internship Program

Finding skilled OpenEdge Advanced Business Language (ABL) developers can be a challenge for an organization as local demand is often greater than available supply. The shortage of qualified talent can leave companies struggling to meet their development needs, leading to project hold-ups and innovation delays.

To help address this market dynamic, some companies choose to invest in their own internship program, where they can cultivate a new generation of developers equipped with the necessary skills and experience to thrive in their organization. These programs can help provide a steady influx of talented professionals ready to contribute to the needs of the business. Through targeted training and mentorship, internships can transform passionate individuals into proficient ABL developers, addressing the talent shortage and driving the future success of an organization’s OpenEdge technologies.

MIP, a leading global fintech company, has an impressive internship program fostering growth and innovation within the OpenEdge community and broader developer communities in South Africa. This program builds a robust pipeline of skilled developers well-versed in OpenEdge technologies, aiding the longevity of their applications.

If you are finding it challenging to recruit skilled OpenEdge professionals, explore how companies like MIP have successfully navigated these challenges. From innovative recruitment strategies to effective training programs, they’re succeeding at building strong, capable teams.

MIP: Innovating with Progress OpenEdge in Financial Services

Based in South Africa, MIP provides technology solutions and software services across various financial services industries, including Healthcare, Risk & Insurance, Wealth Management, Employee Benefits, Lending and Business Process Outsourcing.

MIP uses the Progress OpenEdge platform and other Progress products such as the Progress Corticon rules engine to develop, deploy and manage mission-critical business applications. MIP introduced the SaaS billing model in 1998, which was later widely adopted by OpenEdge ISV partners. MIP has received several awards for this model, including an Honors Laureate from Computer World Magazine in April 2001.

With over 600 employees, 450 of whom came from their internship program, MIP works to get their team deeply familiar with the Progress OpenEdge environment.

Bridging the Skills Gap

MIP launched its [internship program] in 2008 to bridge the skills gap in the region. This initiative not only expands the OpenEdge community but also enhances developer opportunities in South Africa, contributing to workplace transformation from moral, social and regulatory perspectives.

By attracting young and passionate individuals, MIP creates jobs for those who might not have had them otherwise, providing much-needed opportunities to those who need them most.

Creating Awareness

To raise awareness of the internship program, MIP collaborates with local universities, participates in job fairs and uses recruitment agencies and LinkedIn. Word-of-mouth and internal references also significantly contribute to the application pool, reflecting high employee satisfaction.

MIP seeks individuals passionate about coding, regardless of their educational background. The program offers opportunities for those who have just finished school or have not had the chance to attend. Some developers come from underrepresented backgrounds, and this program provides them with opportunities to succeed, uplifting entire communities and offering hope to those with limited pathways.

“It is a privilege to identify talented youth and to be able to set them on a path to a great future.” - Richard Firth, Chairman & CEO

Here are the steps MIP uses to identify candidates for the internship program:

1. Online Test : Candidates start with an online puzzle test, where participants move a robot from tile to tile, switching on lights and moving in various directions. It involves 25 levels with each level getting progressively more difficult as it goes along. MIP receives up to 1200 solved games monthly.

2. Follow-Up Test: Qualified candidates who do well on the online test are invited to the MIP offices in Johannesburg or Cape Town for a follow-up test that simulates pressure to evaluate logical thinking and pattern recognition. These tests are marked, and feedback is given immediately.

3. VZAP Test: Qualified candidates who pass the follow-up test are then asked to complete a 5-hour VZAP test that tests concentration, perception, spec reading, concepts of tables and concepts of pointers. A 70% pass mark is required.

4. In-Person Interviews: After the testing, successful candidates submit CVs and attend interviews focusing on personality and technical performance.

Learning, Training and Developing Talent

During the three-month paid internship, interns attend in-person facilitated classes where they focus on learning technical knowledge, best practices and the suite of MIP products, focusing on Progress OpenEdge ABL development.

The internship covers coding in ABL, the MIP Framework, Data Execution Prevention (DEP) and general behaviors (attitude, networking, timekeeping, source control). Interns apply theory, techniques and standards through practical system development, with continuous assessments balancing theory and practical work for effective learning. This approach creates a workforce ready to tackle real-world challenges from day one.

On the last day of the internship, the class presents a practical system to the Executive Committee, showcasing their understanding of the systems they learned over the course of the three months and assigned work.

Supporting New Talent at MIP

MIP believes in nurturing new talent right from the start. Once accepted into the program, each candidate is issued a laptop and a full local development environment. They collaborate with teams throughout the internship and learn how to navigate documentation. Mentors are available to assist with any questions, enabling interns to analyze programs, devise solutions and implement and test them effectively.

After the Internship

Upon completing the course, each division within MIP engages with the new class to explain specific aspects of their work and provide an overview of MIP and its offerings. While considering preferences, MIP Trainers, with division inputs, assign interns to teams where their skills are most needed.

Interns are assigned real tasks, either business-as-usual (BAU) or project-based, with each task reviewed and evaluated. To formalize qualifications, MIP has an agreement with an accredited training institution, allowing Junior Engineers to attend classes and complete assignments to receive a diploma-equivalent accredited qualification.

Interns are committed to staying with MIP for three years after completing their internship and starting their careers with the company.

Contributing to the OpenEdge Community

Many former interns have gone on to achieve great success in their careers at MIP. Their stories serve as inspiration for current and future participants, demonstrating the impact of the program on professional journeys. These success stories also highlight the program’s effectiveness in preparing interns for industry demands.

Hervé Ngongo joined the MIP internship program in 2014 and is now a Solutions Architect Lead with the company. When he was looking to grow and develop his skills, he learned about the MIP internship program and was impressed by what it offered. He applied, was invited for interviews and was eventually offered a position.

“MIP has an amazing program. The nice thing is that it is a paid internship and you learn a lot about the Progress language,” Ngongo said.

Like Hervé, Jason Loveland joined the MIP internship program in 2014 and is now a Program Manager where he looks after the client service managers, SCRUM masters of his division and more. After having experience in a developer role, he realized that he prefers the management and people side of things. He enjoys looking after interns, especially since being one himself, and he encourages his team to do the same. Jason also appreciates how the MIP program teaches interns that you build software as a team, not just as individual contributors.

“MIP gave me the opportunity to grow,” Jason shared.

Future of the Program

MIP is always looking for ways to improve their internship program and they continuously evaluate it. Here are some of their plans for improvement:

• Feedback Integration : Senior Developers, Team Leaders and mentors provide feedback on real-life topics needing attention. Feedback is also gathered from candidates.

• Balanced Evaluation: Reviewing the weighting of theory and practical marks, focusing on better performance in practical tasks.

• Automation: Automating processes for further scaling and efficiency.

• Course Alignment: Aligning the MIP Internship and Training Course with Progress OpenEdge courses so only the latest content is leveraged.

• Refresher Courses: Providing refresher courses to existing teams based on the latest developments.

• Program Expansion: Expanding the program to include other roles, such as Customer Success Manager (CSM), Scrum Master (SM), Test Engineer and Business Analyst (BA).

Advice for People Struggling to Find OpenEdge Talent

MIP’s biggest piece of advice for organizations struggling to find OpenEdge talent is to look for developers in other fields, who are proficient in other programming languages—and even people who may not be developers yet but have an interest in it.

Here are some key points to consider when building an internship program:

• Diverse Backgrounds: Potential developers might be in different jobs but have the skills to excel in programming.
• Selection Process: A strong selection process helps identify and nurture talent, reducing dropout rates during the internship.
• Dedicated Champion: Have someone to run and continuously update the program.
• Long-Term Vision: Understand that investing in training is building the future of your company.
• Compliance and Investment: Programs like this help support compliance with hiring laws and show investment in your business and people.
• Word of Mouth: Positive experiences lead to recommendations, attracting more talent.

Shaping the Future

The MIP Internship Program is a comprehensive initiative aimed at cultivating the next generation of OpenEdge developers. MIP is heavily invested in young developers, as they represent the future of the company. Through rigorous training, real-world experience and valuable networking opportunities, the program significantly expands the OpenEdge developer base, fostering growth and technological innovation.Organizations like MIP are shaping the future for OpenEdge developers, investing time, energy and resources into their program. If you are finding it challenging to create a training program that cultivates and nurtures skilled OpenEdge developers within your own organization, consider exploring the Progress Developer Academy and start shaping the future of your development team today.