The Joomla Academy, a global initiative run by Open Source Matters and the brainchild of Philip Walton, is well underway; and the momentum is only building! With the first group of students hard at work on development projects, it’s a nice opportunity to reflect on what’s been achieved, to recognise those who have made it possible, and look ahead to what’s next. 

Created to nurture the next generation of Joomla contributors, the Academy provides a clear pathway for students with PHP, JavaScript, UX, and UI skills. Participants learn by doing, they contribute real code, develop production-ready features, and become an integral part of Joomla’s open-source community. And for successful students, there’s the opportunity of a stipend of up to $3,000 in recognition of their commitment.

From Test Task to Team Member

Every Academy applicant was invited to undertake a test task - a custom Joomla plugin designed to automatically enhance article metadata by generating meta descriptions and keywords.

Every submission was carefully assessed by the mentors. While many students demonstrated creativity and technical prowess, only one was chosen per project.

The deciding factors? According to the mentors, the chosen students showed exceptional attention to detail and high-quality documentation, key strengths for collaborative open-source work.

This hands-on challenge set the tone for the Academy journey: real-world coding, constructive feedback, and professional expectations right from the start.

The Projects: April 2025 Students Get Started

Our current students are now deeply engaged in two exciting projects that could significantly enhance Joomla’s core capabilities.

Enhanced SEO Integration

This project builds on the momentum of the successful 2022 GSoC SEO initiative. 

Project Objectives:

• Improve core SEO tab functionality
• Add a flexible OpenGraph and schema system
• Enhance content analysis tools
• Implement advanced metadata management
• Optimise image compression features
• Develop new social media integration capabilities

Technical Focus:

• Convert existing proof-of-concept code into production-ready plugins
• Ensure compatibility with Joomla 5.x codebase
• Implement secure coding practices
• Create proper documentation

Mentors:
Martina Scholz: Coding Specialist
Phil Walton: J6 Liaison
Louise Hawkins: Welfare and Operations

Advanced Migration Tools

This project is building a more powerful and flexible way to expand Joomla's migration capabilities, building on the foundation laid by the WordPress migration tool. 

Project Objectives:

• Develop a framework-agnostic migration system
• Enhance media transfer capabilities
• Improve database migration processes
• Create comprehensive logging and error handling
• Implement user-friendly progress tracking

Technical Focus:

• Extend the migration tool to support additional CMS platforms
• Improve user experience during migration process
• Implement robust error handling
• Ensure security during the migration process

Mentors: 
Brian Mitchell: Coding Specialist
Manu Beladevan: Coding Specialist
Gary Barclay: J6 Liaison
Shirielle Williams: Welfare and Operations

Voices from the Academy

At the core of Joomla Academy is mentorship. Our mentors are just as passionate about teaching as they are about development.

Louise Hawkins shared: “It’s a real pleasure to support the SEO Integration project in a well-being mentor role. While I’m not a coder myself, I’m a digital marketer, and I know just how valuable these features will be once they’re part of core. Being able to contribute to the development of something I’ll personally use, and to help students along the way, is a genuinely rewarding experience.”

Shirielle Williams shared: “It’s an honor to be a part of the Joomla Academy. To have the opportunity to contribute to the Joomla project while aiding in the development of not only new features for Joomla but also the development of a young, enthusiastic new developer. Echoing Louise’s sentiment, it is a genuinely rewarding experience.”

This holistic approach is what makes the Joomla Academy so impactful. Students aren’t just learning how to code, they’re learning how to grow within a team and a community.

A Huge Thank You to Our Founding Sponsors and Mentors

We extend our huge thanks to the many sponsors whose generosity has made this programme possible. Together, over $17,000 was raised to support student stipends, resources, and programme operations.

JAB eV and reDim are our very generous Platinum sponsors.

Gold sponsors are: djumla – David Jardin and tec-promotion – Stefan Wendhausen, along with Yootheme.

Here is a full list of our Amazing Sponsors. Please take a look and consider showing your appreciation to these farsighted companies and individuals.

And to the mentors we have - thank you for your willingness to give of your time, your eagerness to share your knowledge, and your support of our students.

Apply for the Next Intake – July 2025

Didn't catch this round? Not a problem. The applications for the next selection are set to open between July 1 and August 15, 2025. The 2025 October cohort will continue with its activities until March 2026.

Start preparing now by:

• Exploring Joomla’s codebase and documentation
• Reviewing and testing pull requests
• Getting set up with a local development environment

You can find more information, such as Setting up Joomla locally, Joomla code structure and standards, and more in the Academy GitHub Wiki

You’ll be up to speed and ready when the next opportunity opens!

Interested in Becoming a Mentor?

The Joomla Academy is always on the lookout for passionate mentors to guide the next wave of open-source contributors. We wish to enlist guide mentors who have been around in the world of open source long enough to know the ropes. Most of all, we look for those who have built Joomla extensions, and who really know Joomla, inside and out. Familiarity with Joomla 5 is a must. Mentors don't just review code; they also help build confidence, provide guidance, and serve as steady presences throughout the program.

Get in touch via Mattermost

https://joomlacommunity.cloud.mattermost.com/main/channels/ja-mentors 

Final Thoughts…

The Joomla Academy is not solely a training initiative. It’s about learning, contributing, and becoming part of something bigger.

No matter what role you play - student, mentor, sponsor, or supporter, thank you for helping us shape the future of Joomla. We’re really proud of our first intake and excited to welcome even more talent in the future.