On Education and Training in Formal Methods for Industrial Critical Systems

The 2020 expert survey on formal methods has put one topic into the focus of the formal methods for industrial critical systems community: education and training. Of three overall conclusions, the first one finds the survey to indicate "a consensus about the essential role of education". At the same time, survey results and individual expert statements indicate largely open challenges. In this work, we analyse the 2020 expert survey results from an education and training perspective, and we discuss the proposal of an integrative approach with respect to these challenges. A central enabler for the integrated approach is the modern, inclusive interpretation of formal methods as put forth in the survey report and a differentiated understanding of roles (or stakeholders) in formal methods for industrial critical systems.