This article discusses the problem of preparing student programmers for the process of software testing in real production conditions. It reveals the relevance of the field of software development in general and the testing process in particular, gives a characteristic of the latter. An analysis of the requirements put forward by employers to young specialists-testers is carried out, the main ones are highlighted: knowledge of specific theoretical aspects of activities, the availability of

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... ct experience, a high level of development of soft skills. The paper examines the international experience of training software engineers, which highlights special attention of foreign programs to the practices of non-formal education, in particular, to conducting industrial practice at the expense of the resources and programs of partner enterprises, as well as taking into account international certificates of training programs in the assessment of disciplines. In the final part of the work, a description of the concept of non-formal education is given, features of its legal status in Ukraine are highlighted, characteristics of its main features are given, such as the use of innovative teaching methods, flexibility and modifiability, implementation on the basis of specialized or independent institutions. The final part of the article examines the issue of the relevance of non-formal forms of education in the context of training future software engineers for software testing in a real project environment. An analysis of the existing commercial practices present in the educational space of Ukraine is carried out, conclusions are drawn regarding the possibility of using informal training practices within the formal programs of domestic universities.