Stetson University is expanding Boundless Learning Web Development offerings by teaming up with DrupalEasy, a Central Florida-based Drupal web development and training company, to offer the Drupal Career Certificate Program at the Celebration Center. The program is the first and only comprehensive, university-based Drupal professional development program in Florida, perhaps the nation.

Drupal is an open source content management system used for more than a million websites worldwide including Whitehouse.gov, Weather.com, and Examiner.com, and used locally by organizations such as Florida Hospital and the Orange County Library System. Both large and small organizations are migrating their web presence to Drupal because it is low cost, flexible, scalable, secure and fast-loading. This amazing growth in adoptions is creating growing demand for Drupal professionals with various specialties in traditional jobs, through telecommuting and independent consulting.

“The collaboration between Stetson and DrupalEasy is really terrific!” said Dr. Joy McGuirl-Hadley, Stetson’s associate vice president of Boundless Learning. “We are pleased to take the lead in offering Drupal, one of the fastest growing open source web development platforms available. The Stetson Drupal certificate will bring cutting edge programming to our students and the community.”

According to the US Department of Labor Occupational Handbook, web developer employment in general will have an overall growth rate of 20 percent between 2012 and 2020, almost double the average growth rate for all occupations. Within Drupal, a 2014 Drupal Association survey of hiring managers found that 82 percent of respondents would be hiring Drupal talent within six months, 40 percent say they are “constantly” hiring Drupal talent, and 92 percent say there is insufficient Drupal talent in the market to meet their needs.

The Stetson – DrupalEasy partnership to present a certificate program in the opportunity-rich field of Drupal web development is an exciting new foray for Stetson into career training in the burgeoning field of open source technologies. DrupalEasy, known worldwide in the Drupal Community for its focus on quality talent development programs and advocacy, as well as best-practices consulting, has developed a tried and true comprehensive program with the distinction that meets Stetson’s mission to provide only excellent educational opportunities. In addition to the classroom training, the Drupal Career Certificate Program provides class co-working labs, instructor assistance and a course website filled with learning resources including an eBook, screencasts, resource materials and class reference documents.

“This is a great step toward reaching outside of the Drupal community to attract quality-minded people into Drupal development careers,” said Mike Anello, the creator of the Drupal Career program, and global Drupal talent development advocate. “We are thrilled to connect with Stetson to bring comprehensive Drupal focused career training into the American university system and begin what we hope is the beginning of a sustainable Drupal talent pipeline that starts with an exceptional training foundation.”

The inaugural session begins September 15, and runs every Tuesday and Thursday evening from 5:30 – 9:00 p.m. until the first week of December. Florida Drupal Camp 2015 is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, April 11 and 12, in Orlando. For more information, visit: www2.stetson.edu/drupal-training.