He has observed a recurring challenge within engineering teams: the difficulty of maintaining and developing technical skills. Teams often completed a project, absorbed what they could from the experience, and then continued to repeat that approach for decades – without evolving their methods or knowledge. This stagnation, Beningo explained, could lead to missed deadlines and reliance on outdated techniques.
While ongoing training would seem to be the solution, he noted that practical constraints often prevented teams from pursuing it. Many training courses required engineers to leave the office for several days and came with a price tag of $3,000 or $4,000 – a tough sell to most managers. Even when team members did manage to attend multi-day courses, the learning experience was rarely effective.
In response to this gap, Beningo developed the Embedded Software Academy – an online, modular platform offering both on-demand and live training sessions. The idea is to provide engineers with accessible, hands-on learning they could fit into their schedules, even during a lunch break.
Unlike traditional tutorials, which might focus narrowly on isolated concepts, his courses reflect best practices grounded in real-world development. By making the training accessible, relevant, and hands-on, he hopes to help embedded software teams stay current, capable, and confident – without needing to step away from their day-to-day responsibilities.
The Academy includes modules on topics such as modern build systems, CI/CD, and emerging languages like Rust.
One of the most recent additions is a masterclass in software architecture. The course aims to help engineers understand how to architect software systems effectively – from high-level system design to decomposition into threads, modules, and components. This structured approach serves as a foundation for more maintainable and scalable embedded applications.
Another standout course focuses on software modernisation. It introduces a seven-step framework based on recurring issues Beningo encountered while working with companies rooted in legacy environments. This upcoming modernisation module explores topics such as build systems, architecture, DevOps, test-driven development, simulation, and the creation of metrics dashboards to monitor development progress. It also covers the increasing role of AI and machine learning in embedded systems.
Additional content includes a course on transitioning from C to C++, one on Rust, and another soon-to-be-released module focused on embedded security and Arm TrustZone.
The Academy is designed to support a range of learners, but the primary focus is on professionals already working in the industry. While some content, such as the expert C programming section, is accessible to students, the real aim is to serve engineers who need to sharpen their skills or fill in knowledge gaps developed over time.
Courses can be purchased individually, typically priced between $195 and $295, or you can join the Academy as part of a subscription for $295. The subscription model makes the entire catalogue available, including hands-on workshops and best practice guides, providing flexibility and value for professionals needing to upskill without leaving the office or making large financial commitments.
The Academy also includes a built-in community element. This provides subscribers with an interactive space to engage not only with the course creator but also with one another. A key feature of this community is a quarterly live call – these sessions offer previews of upcoming content and provide a forum for tackling real-world challenges. It also gives subscribers the chance to suggest topics they would like to see covered in future materials.
The Academy reached its one-year milestone at the end of May, marking a significant moment for Beningo. Looking ahead, the next 12 months of the Academy will focus on expansion, refinement, and added value for subscribers. Beningo has a clear target of introducing three to four new courses annually.
Planned additions included:
- An updated modernisation course
- A security-focused course on TrustZone
- A new Zephyr workshop
- Potential modules on bootloaders or further Rust training, depending on user demand
In parallel, Beningo aims to build out a tools section with practical resources such as code snippets and utilities that engineers could use in their daily work.
Another key focus is the addition of testing elements to courses and the creation of a basic certification pathway, helping to formalise learning outcomes and add measurable value for professionals using the platform.
Explore the Embedded Software Academy here: https://www.beningo.com/embedded-software-academy/#
