Leverage Eager, New Drupal Talent for Free. Really.

Published September 6, 2012


DCSP2 lab hoursWe all want rock stars on our projects.  But the reality is, there are more projects out there than there are experienced Drupal developers to handle them.  How can we make more rock stars? WE Drupal. Work Experience (WE) Drupal was developed by Brevard Workforce, our super innovative, Drupal-embracing local workforce agency as a follow-on program for the Drupal Career Starter Program to help jumpstart careers for developing Drupal talent in the region. WE Drupal provides DCSP grads with a salary while they work for companies and organizations within the Drupal Community for up to 10 weeks.

The Drupal talent shortage, coupled with the state of our local economy was the impetus for developing the DCSP in 2011. The program is a 10-week, 70+ hour training program that is an intensive quick start to mastering Drupal. Our first two sessions (we just started the second) are focused on individuals who have the tech background and qualify for training scholarships through Brevard Workforce, the very innovative workforce board that serves Florida’s Space Coast.  Of course, the training, (as awesome as it is) is still not everything novices need to be hirable. That’s where our region’s amazing workforce agency really shows its edge.

Through WE Drupal, Brevard Workforce will compensate qualifying DCSP graduates for the first 10 weeks as they embark on their careers by working for Drupal organizations willing to provide them with guidance and real-world experience. In other words; you can leverage the talent of an eager, highly trained Drupal novice without any impact to your bottom line.

Want to find out why Brevard Workforce is so interested in building Drupal talent? Check out DrupalEasy Podcast 88 to hear from their president, Lisa Rice, who also gives tips on how to get more workforce boards supporting Drupal talent development.

Of course, you need to provide a fair amount of guidance, which we’ve found from the past provides value to not just the participants but the organizations they serve as well.  The goal is for you to provide practical, directed work experience so new Drupalers can jumpstart their skill base, and potentially obtain contract or full time employment as Drupal practitioners for you and within the community.

Eager Talent

DCSP2 class, week 3This time around, there will be up to 20 DCSP participants that will be placed with host companies once they complete training in October. Qualified WE Drupal participants (they have to have successfully mastered all the course requirements) will be matched to the needs of organizations that apply, and will be placed either physically or virtually with an organization for 7 - 10 weeks.  During that time and with your guidance, the participant will directly support your business operations while they gain real-world experience.

Each participant placed through the WE Drupal program has received an intensive, 10-week Drupal Training Course (including classroom hours, lab hours, and required contributions back to the Drupal community guided by an independent Drupal mentor) through DrupalEasy. DrupalEasy will determine each participant's skill sets/interest and whether their abilities are up for the WE Drupal Program. Once placed, active guidance from a supervisor in the form of regularly scheduled Skype or office hour contact sessions are essential to the success of the WE Drupal participant, and ensures that organizations get the work products they need.

Interested?

We’ve set up an application page, including more information about WE Drupal at http://drupaleasy.com/dcsp/we-drupal-hosts. if your organization would like to be considered, fill out the form.  We’ll be accepting applications until September 21st.

 

 

Comments

Drupal has boom in market of software. Drupal with CMS provides you great features and work flexibility. These kind of training programs generate awareness with the latest updates among the drupal web developers.

Submitted by Drupal Web Dev… (not verified) on Mon, 09/10/2012 - 09:58

You don't mention any geographical restrictions, but it sounds like it's funded by a local government. Whether there are restrictions or not, it's important to mention them.

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