How Wayfare Developer Academy Is Shaping the Future of OpenEdge Developers

Investing in a Progress OpenEdge developer academy cultivates a new generation of developers and equips them with the necessary skills and experience to thrive. These programs provide a steady influx of talented professionals ready to contribute to the business and broader OpenEdge community. Through targeted training and mentorship, academies transform passionate individuals into proficient developers, addressing talent shortages and driving the future success of OpenEdge technologies.

One company forging ahead with training OpenEdge developers is Wayfare, who created their own Developer Academy. The Academy is a program fostering innovation and education for developers interested in starting a career with the OpenEdge Advanced Business Language (ABL).

Wayfare: Providing Innovation and Partnership in Software Development

Wayfare is passionate about software development and committed to being a trusted software development outsourcing partner. They specialize in creating innovative solutions for businesses worldwide, driving digital transformation and delivering exceptional value through advanced technology and expertise. With over a decade of experience, Wayfare provides businesses of different sizes and industries with tailored software services, leveraging industry best practices and fostering long-term partnerships built on trust, open collaboration and excellence.

Wayfare is more than a service provider—it is a supportive community focused on innovation. Leveraging their OpenEdge expertise, Wayfare provides a culture of close partnerships with clients and employees.

Wayfare Developer Academy

Wayfare Academy was established to address their clients’ increasing demand for skilled OpenEdge developers. Wayfare’s Developer Academy offers an eight-week comprehensive curriculum where trainees can learn Progress OpenEdge core development skills, best practices and general software development. Class sizes range from six to ten trainees, depending on the number of applications and anticipated talent needs.

Throughout the academy, trainees learn:

1. Fundamentals: Development tools, data types and basic coding.

2. Database Management: Relational structures and joins, database design, coding applications, error handling and data manipulation.

3. Advanced Topics: Database integrity through CRUD operations and locking, along with object-oriented programming concepts.

The curriculum seamlessly integrates classroom instruction with hands-on practical exercises. Participants collaborate in teams on real-world projects, such as developing a library management system, allowing them to experience the entire application development process.

At the end of the program, a group project is presented to leaders so trainees can demonstrate their skills. This group assignment reinforces collaboration, allowing trainees to gain valuable hands-on experience in creating functional, enterprise-level applications.

Finding Talented Developers

Wayfare works closely with universities and organizations to raise awareness about their company and the OpenEdge application development platform. Most trainees are computer science students. Wayfare seeks individuals with a solid foundation in object-oriented programming—regardless of the language—and a technical background in databases and algorithms. An interest in back-end development is a plus.

The selection process includes a regularly updated technical quiz, followed by technical and culture fit interviews. Passion, curiosity and a proactive approach to learning are highly valued. Self-learners are particularly prized for their ability to advance in their careers.

Wayfare emphasizes long-term careers within a supportive team and community. In 2024, out of 600 applicants:

• 110 took the technical quiz

• 54 had culture-fit interviews

• 19 proceeded to technical interviews

• 10 students were selected for the Academy

Through the selection process and the Academy, Wayfare can source employees who share a passion for software development and reflect their company values. Over the years Wayfare has trained more than 220 developers on Progress OpenEdge and over 50% of the developers currently employed at Wayfare come from the Academy.

Growing the Academy

From its inception, the Academy has evolved, becoming more professional with updated content and a curriculum adapted to modern learning styles. University graduates today learn differently than they did 10 to 15 years ago—embracing digital tools and online resources, engaging in more collaborative and interactive learning environments and leveraging technology to access a wealth of information and educational content. Wayfare’s teaching methods have evolved by integrating modern educational technologies, fostering interactive and collaborative learning experiences and continuously updating their curriculum to meet the changing needs of today’s learners.

The Academy focuses on more than just technology and coding; it also digs into how to collaborate internally and with clients. This holistic approach is essential for evaluating how individuals will function within Wayfare’s environment.

Each year, the curriculum is reviewed and updated as OpenEdge releases new features. Teaching methods are also evaluated to incorporate more collaborative exercises.

Career Support and Networking

Wayfare’s Developer Academy goes beyond education by offering robust career support. From resume building to interview preparation, the Academy equips trainees with the tools to be successful as developers. During the Academy, participants have specific mentors and teachers. Sometimes, the teacher of the Academy also serves as a mentor, but other mentors are assigned specifically for the Academy.

After the Academy, the mentoring structure depends on the internal projects the trainees work on. Often, the mentor will lead the internal project, providing guidance. Additionally, Wayfare’s OpenEdge tech lead continues to mentor them specifically on the OpenEdge platform. Over time, informal conversations allow participants to seek guidance from those they feel most comfortable with, fostering growth in a supportive environment.

Shaping the Future of OpenEdge Development

Claudiu Spac, a technical lead at Wayfare, got into Wayfare Academy in the winter of 2014. When asked to detail his experience, he says, "The entire process was well-organized. We had people coming in to help us out, providing all the necessary materials and answering our questions. Besides the main mentor, other employees would drop by during their breaks, eager to assist and see what was happening.”

Something Claudiu appreciated about the program, was the ability to approach anyone with questions and their willingness to assist. This supportive environment made a big difference in his learning experience by boosting his confidence and fostering a sense of community and collaboration.

When Diana Stupariu started the Academy, she had zero work experience in the OpenEdge language. Everything she knew about language development came from university. Now a developer with Wayfare, she appreciates all the program did for her, especially improving her public speaking skills.

"The Academy takes you from zero knowledge, explaining the basics of OpenEdge, object-oriented programming and procedural programming. It assumes no prior knowledge and starts at a very basic level, gradually increasing in difficulty over the eight weeks. The program culminates in a two or three-week project where you split into teams, create a project, and present it to the entire company, who can then ask questions. This presentation really helped my public-speaking skills improve significantly. Now, I am much more confident and calmer when talking and presenting.”

Future for Wayfare Academy

Wayfare plans to stay up to date by continuously reevaluating teaching methods. While traditional teaching is still prevalent in Eastern Europe, the younger generation seeks new, faster and more interactive ways to learn. The focus is on keeping content current and matching teaching methods to modern learning preferences.

Wayfare may also increase the pace of the Academy to meet growing needs by offering more frequent sessions throughout the year. With high demand in the OpenEdge community, maintaining and improving the Academy is an ongoing effort.

Conclusion

Wayfare benefits from the Academy’s well-trained developers, fostering continuous learning and growth. The Academy injects passion and fresh talent into the OpenEdge community, preventing stagnation. New generations bring innovative approaches, helping Wayfare remain relevant and meet client needs.

By offering top-notch education, hands-on experience and career support, the Wayfare Academy equips graduates to lead in the evolving world of software development.

If you’re finding it challenging to create a training program that cultivates and nurtures skilled OpenEdge developers within your organization, consider exploring the Progress Developer Academy and start shaping the future of your development team today.