Just a few months ago, students at CIFP Santa Catalina in Aranda de Duero (Spain) knew little to nothing about WordPress. Yet, this vocational school became the stage for the very first WordPress Campus Connect held in Spain, a pioneering project designed to transform the way students and teachers engage with the web, open source, and digital entrepreneurship.
Last August, Javier and Andrés — two of those students — traveled on scholarships to WordCamp US in Portland, where they took the stage as speakers in a panel discussion, sharing their journey with the world.
What exactly is WordPress Campus Connect?
WordPress Campus Connect is an international program for students that brings web development, open-source software, and digital entrepreneurship into the classroom. Through hands-on mentorship and professional resources, participants learn how to build and manage websites with WordPress, developing key skills that will shape their professional future.
But WPCC goes beyond teaching a tool. Its mission is to shape a new generation of digital creators who understand the importance of freedom on the internet, digital privacy, the value of open source, and the right of every individual to own their own content.
The First Campus in Spain, in Ribera del Duero
The WordPress.com team fell in love with this initiative and decided to support the very first edition of WordPress Campus Connect in Aranda de Duero.
Over the course of four weeks, 30 students took part in both in-person and virtual workshops, developed their own web projects, and worked in a collaborative environment where they shared ideas, solved challenges, and supported one another throughout the process.
First face-to-face workshop.
This edition happened thanks to a partnership between the Centro Integrado de Formación Profesional Santa Catalina, whose faculty trusted the project from the very beginning, and the rural coworking space Ribering, which generously hosted the workshops.
Beyond technical training, WordPress.com provided free hosting for the students, along with close mentorship throughout the program. Watching their progress was truly rewarding — many started with no prior knowledge and finished by publishing functional, creative websites full of personality.
From Aranda to Portland
To recognize that effort, WordPress.com awarded the two most outstanding projects with a trip to WordCamp US 2025 in Portland, Oregon, where their creators took the stage as guest speakers and shared their experience in a panel discussion with the international community.
Javier and Andrés at WordCamp US with Mary Hubbard and Matt Mullenweg.
The selected projects were:
- ritmoribera.com: a music events calendar showcasing the cultural life of Ribera del Duero, created by Andrés Parra. A site with a public service spirit and a genuine connection to its community.
- Rocstudio.blog: a video game development portfolio designed by Javier Montes de Blas, with a technical focus, a polished aesthetic, and a clear entrepreneurial ambition.
WordPress.com in Education
At WordPress.com, we believe in an Internet that is open, accessible, and in the hands of the people who create it — and we work to bring that vision to everyone, including students, teachers, and educational institutions.
With this goal in mind, we created the WordPress.com Education program in Spain, designed to build connections with schools and universities that want to bring their students closer to the tools of the real digital world. What started in Spain and India is only the beginning — we're now preparing to expand WordPress.com Education to more countries around the world.
We want students to work with world-class technology—the same they will encounter in their future careers — and we want teachers to have access to support, resources, and ongoing training. In this way, we turn our values as a tech company into concrete actions in the classroom, connecting the global with the local, and the technical with the human.
We witnessed the birth of the internet and have been part of building it as an open, collaborative project. Now we want to help shape students who understand that this is not only about technology — it's about values.
What's Next? Now It's Your Turn
This first WPCC was only the beginning. New editions are already underway in Cartago and San José (Costa Rica), as well as in Pontevedra (Spain). And we're excited to bring it to even more places.
If you work at an educational institution, are a teacher, or simply feel inspired by this vision, don't hesitate to get in touch — we'd love to hear from you.
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