Mobile Applications Development

WorldSkills Occupational Standards (WSOS)

Occupation description and WSOS

The name of the skill competition is

Description of the associated work role(s) or occupation(s)

Mobile Applications Development refers to applications development for mobile communication terminals. With the onset of the mass global information age, the market for these applications is booming, since “apps” are widely and increasingly used in people's work, life, and entertainment. The development of mobile applications is overtaking more traditional communication, improving the efficiency of work, and massively extending services and benefits for users. This is leading to new opportunities for employment and self-employment in organizations of all sizes, entrepreneurship and contracting. These roles especially appeal to young adults, due to their confidence and expertise with new technologies.

Depending on the Mobile Applications Developer’s relationship to clients and their needs, the role may be deep and highly specialized, or broad, across the entire applications development process. An employed Developer may have a tightly defined role within a large global company in the digital economy, such as Uber and Alibaba. By contrast, a self-employed contractor expects to have a wide range of development skills in close, short- or longer-term, relationship with a variety of clients and needs. Globally, the expertise in demand covers creativity, design, and technical skills, together with the traversal skills of work organization and management, communication and interpersonal skills, problem solving and innovation.

In summary, the scope and range of the mobile application development role, is to:

Receive and analyse a brief for planning purposes
Apply design thinking to create flow diagrams
Within a test-driven development framework, create designs within the given parameters, and in consultation with the client
Build the systems architecture, choosing the platform in keeping with the brief
Select the required modules, and code the application, regularly testing for functionality
Continuously test, modify and optimize the application for functionality, reliability, and optimization, relative to the user experience.

With the growing take-up of services on the go, using smart mobile terminals such as phones, tablets and watches, the role of Mobile Applications Developer offers both strong immediate work opportunities and a basis for involvement in the global evolution of applications development.

The WorldSkills Occupational Standards (WSOS)

General notes on the WSOS

The WSOS specifies the knowledge, understanding, skills, and capabilities that underpin international best practice in technical and vocational performance. These are both specific to an occupational role and also transversal. Together they should reflect a shared global understanding of what the associated work role(s) or occupation(s) represent for industry and business (www.worldskills.org/WSOS).

The skill competition is intended to reflect international best practice as described by the WSOS, to the extent that it can. The Standard is therefore a guide to the required training and preparation for the skill competition.

In the skill competition the assessment of knowledge and understanding will take place through the assessment of performance. There will only be separate tests of knowledge and understanding where there is an overwhelming reason for these.

The Standard is divided into distinct sections with headings and reference numbers added.

Each section is assigned a percentage of the total marks to indicate its relative importance within the Standards. This is often referred to as the “weighting”. The sum of all the percentage marks is 100. The weightings determine the distribution of marks within the Marking Scheme.

Through the Test Project, the Marking Scheme will assess only those skills and capabilities that are set out in the WorldSkills Occupational Standards. They will reflect the Standards as comprehensively as possible within the constraints of the skill competition.

The Marking Scheme will follow the allocation of marks within the Standards to the extent practically possible. A variation of up to five percent is allowed, if this does not distort the weightings assigned by the Standards.

WorldSkills Occupational Standards

Section		Relative importance (%)
1	Work organization and management	8
	The individual needs to know and understand: Principles, regulations, and standards relating to safe working space and practices The importance of personal integrity and ethical standards Obligations to clients and users for the security of their data, information, and other types of property The need for self-appraisal relative to work demands and expectations Options for filling gaps in personal expertise relative to the work in hand The nature of contracts and agreements, and the rights and obligations that accompany them The availability of the resources required to fulfil clients’ requirements Good practice in relation to the acquisition, use, storage and maintenance of equipment and materials Techniques and options for work planning, scheduling, and prioritization The importance of methodical work practice, including attention to detail, accuracy, and checking The importance of continuing and proactive professional development
	The individual shall be able to: Organize and maintain a safe and efficient workspace Maintain the integrity and confidentiality of systems, data, information and documents at all times Acquire, use, maintain, and store all equipment and materials to ensure optimal and sustained performance Read, appraise and clarify the rights and obligations tied to formal documentation of all kinds Review opportunities, expectations and offers, relative to personal professional capacity, in order to make open, informed choices Select, use and keep up to date selected measures for work planning, scheduling and prioritization Check and ensure that all specific resources are available for the work in hand Meet or enhance the satisfaction of clients and others through self-knowledge, expectation management, and personal efficiency and effectiveness Proactively grow personal expertise through research and professional development
2	Communication and interpersonal skills	7
	The individual needs to know and understand: Principles and applications of costing, budgeting and charging, relative to market factors The importance of speaking, listening, and writing skills to communicate with clients, colleagues and others Communication and behavioural techniques for preventing and, if necessary, resolving misunderstandings The need for discretion and confidentiality when dealing with clients and others The importance of establishing and maintaining productive working relationships with colleagues, and team members where relevant Conventions and protocols for software documentation The principles and applications of record keeping and report writing in relation to the entire work process, from receiving a brief to completion and handover of the agreed work
	The individual shall be able to: Prepare for meetings with clients and associates Gather, clarify, and confirm client requirements Receive, clarify, and interpret briefs and specifications Offer and discuss options and alternatives Discuss time, costs and fees with client, to reach mutual acceptance Document and sort out customer needs Use project management skills and techniques to make the most of workplace organization and resources Follow instructions from available guidance documentation Record each stage of work development Keep client regularly updated on progress Present proposed and final software solutions Prioritize and schedule tasks Allocate resources to tasks
3	Sustainable Practice	5
	The individual needs to know and understand: How to write efficient code, reduce the energy consumption of computer programs, optimize algorithms and data structures, and reduce waste of resources Impact of computer programming and digital technology on carbon emissions, recognizing data centre energy consumption and carbon footprint, etc. Concepts and practices of green computing, including using renewable energy, improved data centre design and operations, and more Concepts for accessibility in mobile applications development How to protect the privacy and security of user data, comply with relevant privacy laws and regulations, and ensure the legal use of data Concepts and methods of software life cycle management, including requirements analysis, design, development, testing, deployment, and maintenance, to ensure the sustainability and maintainability of software
	The individual shall be able to: Select and use tips for writing efficient code, including optimizing algorithms, avoiding double calculations, using memory and resources reasonably, etc. Apply the principles of sustainable software design, such as modularity, loose coupling, scalability, reusability and accessibility, so that the software can adapt to future changes in requirements Apply the methods and tools of software testing and quality control to ensure the quality and stability of the software and reduce the cost of repairing bugs and defects Use version control systems and collaboration tools so team members can develop and manage code collaboratively to improve work efficiency Practise continuous integration and delivery, and improve software delivery speed and quality through automated testing and deployment processes
4	Initial planning, design, and test framework	25
	The individual needs to know and understand: Characteristics and advantages of various development platforms (e.g. iOS, Android) The behaviours of mobile application users Impact of the features on mobile application products (e.g. size and various parameters) Principles and applications of design thinking processes The design methods of user interface (UI) The design methods of user experience (UE/UX) Principles and applications of framework design The means of selecting “what works best” Principles and applications for flow diagrams The principles and applications of version control The design of test plans and procedures A range of testing methods and tools (e.g. unit test, functional test, performance test, etc.) Specifications for writing codes Methods for writing detection program documentation
	The individual shall be able to: Choose the most suitable development platforms Use UI design software such as Adobe XD, Sketch and Figma Conduct prototype and visual design on the application user interface (UI) Use UI application specifications of iOS or Android systems Produce user experience (UE) documentation for applications Produce standardized documentation of applications’ brand image, following clients’ brand guidelines Plan and design marketing solutions for mobile applications store Plan test cases and design specifications for writing test reports
5	Systems architecture planning	15
	The individual needs to know and understand: Principles and applications for creating systems architecture The interaction of platforms and systems architecture Principles of cross platform and the basis of using Flutter The basis for selecting modules provided by the web services Mobile platform system mechanism (Android or iOS) SDK architecture and its usage Application code frameworks Commonly used underlying libraries Programme compatibility on various terminal devices Web service, Socket, http(s) protocols Database design, SQL(Structured Query Language) RESTful API design, XML, and JSON data format Architecture design, development, testing, performance tuning and other technologies, and the use of related tools Basic principles and common design patterns of object-oriented design Industry trends and developments, including new platforms, development languages, protocols, and technologies
	The individual shall be able to: Design the interface based on visual design drafts Review, select and use open source libraries (such as using Gson、OKHttp) Develop corresponding functions according to the features of different mobile devices Obtain the mobile terminal device’s performance parameters from mobile applications Implement visualized data statistical analysis and screening in mobile applications Handle common issues caused by servers, databases, etc.
6	Implementation and product development	30
	The individual needs to know and understand: The coding specifications and importance of mobile application codes Capability of smart terminals such as cameras, GPS, gyroscopes, accelerometers, and Bluetooth Visualized data presentation skills (e.g. pie charts, histograms, line graphs, etc.) Prompted issues from the system and intelligent terminals Principle of 2D and 3D design of animation Algorithms and data structures Mobile applications’ fault-finding skills. Encryption, decryption, signature, etc. of data communication between user terminal and server
	The individual shall be able to: Conduct integrated development with existing code using API (Application Programming Interface) Realize user interaction effects, animation, and data interaction via programming Create modular and reusable development codes Develop application interface, and complete compatibility testing Use Android or iOS development language to implement application development in common design patterns Use high-performance programming and performance tuning on Android or iOS platform Apply the test cases, record test results and resolve issues Plan and implement frequent tests to ensure efficient development Record test results and resolve issues Debug the mobile applications to identify issues and write normalized codes to resolve the issues Complete interface and functional compatibility testing on different platforms and screen resolutions Simulate testing and troubleshooting of sensors on different devices Record test results Implement automated tests of the standardized application programming interfaces Conduct performance testing and performance tuning (APIs)
7	Final product tests, troubleshooting, and optimization	10
	The individual needs to know and understand: Principles and procedures for product reviews using a range of specialized measures and procedures Principles and applications for evaluating efficiency and effectiveness Principles and methods for personal performance review Principles and techniques for continuous improvement and optimization
	The individual shall be able to: Complete all tests to verify functionality Bring together all aspects of the project Analyse and evaluate each stage of the project, relative to The client’s specification The quality of the user experience Ring together test results to produce a final report Evaluate own performance relative to the given brief Review the completed project in order to ask “how would I move this on?” “How would I take this to the next stage?” Prepare and present proposals for optimization to line managers and/or clients
	Total	100

References for industry consultation

General notes

WorldSkills is committed to ensuring that the WorldSkills Occupational Standards fully reflect the dynamism of internationally recognized best practice in industry and business. To do this WorldSkills approaches a number of organizations across the world that can offer feedback on the draft Description of the Associated Role and WorldSkills Occupational Standards on a two-yearly cycle.

In parallel to this, WSI consults three international occupational classifications and databases:

ISCO-08: (http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/stat/isco/isco08/)
ESCO: (https://ec.europa.eu/esco/portal/home )
O*NET OnLine (www.onetonline.org/)

References

This WSOS appears to relate closely to Computer Programmers: https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/15-1251.00

and Mobile Application Developer:
http://data.europa.eu/esco/occupation/2ed56c3f-61d6-4f7e-9ef8-8849eb102e4c

The following table indicates which organizations were approached and provided valuable feedback for the Description of the Associated Role and WorldSkills Occupational Standards in place for WorldSkills Lyon 2024.

There were no responses to the requests for feedback this cycle.