WordPress Wants to Help University Students ![rw-book-cover](https://img.youtube.com/vi/fKSgZHJkE8c/maxresdefault.jpg) 🔗 **Source:** [WordPress Wants to Help University Students](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKSgZHJkE8c) One of the most encouraging things that came out of WordCamp Europe 2026 wasn't a brand new plugin or a brand new feature, but it was about how can we help the new generation get involved and get a bit more excited about using WordPress. There's a link in the video description that clarifies a bit more, but I'm going to try and summarize how WordPress is trying to bring education back out there via a program with universities. Now, I don't know if this will also be for like sixth form colleges in the UK as well. And I'd love to explore the idea, even though it might cost me in terms of my time and resources and whatever, I do think this is a bit of an exciting time for the new generation. So, what was discussed was like this university partnership with the WordPress Foundation and obviously the university and businesses out there where they can mentor and guide new students. Because it's not just like a learning program where you sign up for a course and then someone teaches you how to install WordPress and how to do your Gutenberg and, you know, your styling and things like that and how to write a blog. It's not just about that. What you'll get is like a dedicated learning program whereby the students will learn how to use WordPress, but also they will be contributing back to WordPress. So, this almost fits into the whole contributors program and how they want more people to be engaged, but it allows the students to learn as well. And then going forward, it's going to make them be a more interesting prospect for a company or a plugin developer out there maybe where they are seeking talent. Now, don't get me wrong. I don't think that you have to do a course or do a special program to say you are talented or skilled. But this could be a way of introducing people in because we got to be honest here. A lot of youngsters are looking at AI and technology and they would love to be able to set up their own business working from home. So, here they get to learn WordPress, but they're also contributing back into the WordPress ecosystem. A lot of people, when they hear about WordPress, they will say WordPress is dying, the market share's going down, why are you investing time in that? There's loads of AI solutions out there. And I do not disagree with everything, but I think it is very, very subjective. And if there is this opportunity where universities are going to start signing up, and I don't know the numbers, I don't know how many have or not, but if universities go on board with this, and businesses start investing time to mentor and guide people as well to lead the courses or the program, isn't that a really good thing? I mean, why would any university or business want to sign up to this if they didn't think there was a future for WordPress? Of course, this is very hypothetical. In a year's time, I or others might have a different view of this, but I think this is a really good, positive move for the WordPress Foundation and the WordPress people to be doing this. The ultimate aim is that a lots of plugin developer companies, businesses out there that employ staff or people to work on their product are now going to have work-ready junior developers and designers. Because a lot of us can watch videos and tutorials and read up about how to work with WordPress. But if you've now got people that have actually worked on the security aspect or the core or the AI abilities or just something fundamental behind the scenes, aren't they a more enticing prospect? From a student aspect, they can show that they have contributed to a specific section of WordPress over the last 6 months. And not just that, they're going to get real-world experience, soft skills, and some professional certification at the end of it as well. Universities always love to put on their prospectus when they can show that like people from their university or do their courses or programs are able to go and get real jobs as well. You don't just want to have a course that says, "Hey, we're going to teach you business studies." and then most of the people kind of disappear and you never see them again. But if you can now show that, I don't know, 50, 60% of the people that did this went on to full-time employment or whatever job they got and they were now earning a really good salary and they were getting recognition within the WordPress community as well. I wish something like this was around when I was at university and I hope this takes off because I know my son, he's only 11, he takes a lot of interest in what I'm doing, not just the YouTubing side but the whole web designing. And I would love to open up this discussion if it is possible and I need to find out if it is with some sixth form colleges and schools around my area because I don't think we should just restrict this to just universities. I think we need to go down to say 15, 16-year-olds, 17-year-olds as well. They're not even at university. They haven't even fully thought about it yet. But maybe with everything that's going on with technology, wouldn't they like to learn to use WordPress and websites and contribute? I know what it's like when you employ people when I used to work in the NHS and you spend a lot of time on boarding staff. Well, now you could be employing people and the onboarding time is now down to days or a week rather than months. And from what I've picked up from the video, there's apparently 700,000 open roles in the WordPress ecosystem. I'm just trying to get my head around that. 700,000 open roles in the WordPress ecosystem that this could help to fill. Now, you could argue but aren't you now just getting people to learn and then you're getting help from them but you're not giving them a salary or anything. Well, to be honest, a lot of people that contribute to the WordPress ecosystem aren't really getting paid for either. So, it's kind of the same thing. So, how would the university get themselves set up or the school? They would have to have that conversation with the WordPress Foundation. Now, universities might not fully understand that and that's where local businesses, me, someone could maybe touch base with the university or hopefully a college and maybe kind of be the bridge with the WordPress Foundation to kind of get that communication all set up. Is it going to cost the university to do this? I don't believe so because, well, obviously, depending on the venue or where you hold it, where it's online or offline. I don't know, but you know, there's a lot of logistics you got to work out. But, I don't think there should be a cost because the WordPress Foundation, I don't think they're going to charge for it from what I know because they gain from it cuz they get contributions. If you have a business who allows one of their staff or employees, let's say I did it, or let's say there was another agency or and they decide that one of their experts or gurus is now going to go out and teach and support the students, they're obviously giving up their time. So, the cost to them is their time. Maybe they're going to give out some licenses, maybe to use, I don't know, hosting or something like that. There's loads of logistics you got to think about. Obviously, there's the WordPress playground, so they could go in and start playing with that as well. Now, from a student point of view, they obviously have to show they are contributing. They have to work on a real project. You can't just spend 6 months going, "Yeah, I'm just going to set up my WordPress and do the settings." You've actually got to contribute. So, they have to show evidence by Slack. They've got to keep a blog as well to show their progress and what problems they're overcoming and challenges they're facing. And this could even be done as a side thing to their normal university course they're doing or whatever they're working on. They could be full-time employed already, and now they're doing this. You know, it could be like, you know, you know, evening school, maybe, or something. Mature students, even. Could be anyone. I don't really feel like we need to put an age on this. I'm going to try to find out a bit more, basically, because I'd love to explore the idea of local businesses approaching their local education establishments to find out how they can do this, because I really do, and it's been on my mind for a long time, and how could I provide more WordPress learning and teaching. I haven't always contributed by the contribution kind of side of things, just because of juggling lots of things. But, if there was a way that I could somehow contribute back by holding like a school or lessons or something like that, I would do. And I'm not looking to make any income from it. Really, really clear on that. I'd love to make a difference. And I would love to, you know, obviously I use a lot of Elementor, but there's loads of WordPress stuff that I could knowledge and experience I could pass on, as well. Quite frankly, anyone who participates in this is helping to shape the new generation of web designs, developers, and the whole WordPress ecosystem. And like I said, if there's 700,000 roles out there, fresh talent is definitely needed., WordPress Wants to Help University Students, YouTube, 01ktwggee6r2asmdyttnpx6cg1.