WordCamp Tampa has announced a new partner for the 2015 edition of the annual technology conference focused on the WordPress format and its development. The nonprofit Happy Joe has joined the event, crafting the curriculum for a full day of hands-on training which will be centered around the organization's goals of supporting veterans' efforts to gain business training and employment opportunities in the web technology industry.
The partnership grew from a chance discovery by WordCamp Tampa co-organizer Tom Townsend of an article about Happy Joe.
“I had come across an article about Happy Joe, so I checked his website out and found that he was doing these training sessions for veterans. Initially when I looked at his website he was looking for help in putting his team together, so I talked to him about becoming a member of the board of directors. But he hadn't updated his site and that wasn't an option. So I said 'Well, let me see if there's another venue I can help you in. I'm the co-organizer of WordCamp and i can see your boot camp type of training being a very helpful addition to what we do at WordCamp. We always do one day of hands on training the day before the normal two day conference.' He had actually been trying get something like that together.”
This training session, scheduled on the Friday before the two-day conference, will serve as a “beginner's workshop” for the WordPress program, taking participants from the basics of posting to differences among blogs and themes to adding plug-ins and further development of sites. Townsend was thrilled about bringing the Happy Joe style of training to the WordCamp.
“In teaming up with Happy Joe, he already has a proven method. He's got a curriculum that he's been using. It's geared a little more towards the veterans, but it can be applied to anybody across the whole board. We're doing this beginner's workshop not just for veterans, anybody can attend it.”
"We believe in delivering incredible value through our WP BootCamps,” said Happy Joe founder James Dalman in a press release announcing the partnership. “These events will always provide key takeaways and advice for any attendee, as well as offer them incredible tools and resources for success. While our main focus is on training and equipping military veterans, military spouses, and military caregivers, we welcome any person interested in our event to attend."
WordCamp Tampa also revealed that the first thirty veterans who sign up for the event will receive free three-day admission, taking place from September 25-27 at USF's Marshall Center. General tickets will go on sale in mid-July for $35 a person, with 100 seats available for Friday's workshop and 350 for the Saturday and Sunday spanning WordCamp.
