August 19, 2026 — For years, WordPress engineers have lacked a globally recognized, professionally governed credential—an unusual gap in an ecosystem that powers a significant portion of the web. Employers have likewise struggled to reliably identify qualified WordPress engineering talent for mission‑critical work. To address this need, a small team at Automattic spent a year designing and building the new standards‑based Advanced Professional WordPress Developer Certification for WordPress developers, in partnership with Kryterion, a global leader in secure testing and assessment design. This session offers a behind‑the‑scenes look at how this credential was created, validated, and how it is structured, governed and delivered. We’ll explore what value credentials deliver to engineers and employers, and how they can expand access, equity, and diversity within open source communities. We’ll also discuss what additional credentials could emerge in the future. This session is ideal for engineers, employers, and anyone curious about the role credentialing can play in strengthening the WordPress ecosystem.

June 8, 2026 — WordPress is currently preparing several changes around learning and contributor onboarding. In this conversation, Mary Hubbard (Executive Director of WordPress), Benjamin Zekavica (Core Team Rep), Rade Jekic (Training Team Rep), Natalia Basiura, and Klaus Harris discuss the programs currently in progress. This includes new contributor pathways, simpler onboarding steps, and the first university partnerships to connect WordPress with academic learning. The session looks at how new contributors can get started more easily, how people who stepped away can find a way back, and which skills will be important for working with WordPress in the coming years. It also gives a look into the internal work aimed at making learning and contribution more structured and accessible across the project.