WordPress Credits Connects Students with Global Open-Source Projects
Students at the South Tangerang Institute of Technology (ITTS) now have the opportunity to develop professional experience through global-scale open-source projects. ITTS is recorded as the first higher education institution in Southeast Asia to join the WordPress Credits programme.
The programme is an international initiative from the WordPress Foundation that connects the academic world with the WordPress development ecosystem. Through this programme, student contributions to various WordPress projects can be converted into academic credits and recognised as professional experience equivalent to an industrial internship.
Under this scheme, students do not only gain experience from classroom learning. They can be directly involved in widely used technology projects while building a portfolio during their studies.
The Rector of ITTS, Ir. Onno Widodo Purbo, stated that student involvement in the global WordPress ecosystem is part of an effort to transform technology learning patterns in higher education.
“The involvement of ITTS students in the global WordPress ecosystem is not merely about fulfilling lecture hours, but proof that Indonesian youth are capable of making real contributions to the technology used by millions of websites worldwide,” said Onno in Serpong on Wednesday (16/09/2026).
According to Onno, the programme allows the learning process to take place through real-world problems, ranging from software development to collaboration with contributors from various countries.
Students are not limited to coding contributions. They can be involved in several fields according to their expertise, such as user interface and user experience (UI/UX) design, cybersecurity, language localisation, and technical documentation.
“ITTS students can channel their abilities into various contribution fields, starting from software development (coding), UI/UX design, cybersecurity, language localisation, to technical documentation,” he explained.
This scheme provides students with the opportunity to act as contributors to technology projects, rather than just users. The results of their contributions can also serve as part of their professional track record before entering the workforce.
From the perspective of the WordPress Foundation, the involvement of universities is seen as a way to help expand and maintain the sustainability of the open-source community.
WordPress Foundation representative, Pooja Derashri, stated that cooperation with educational institutions can help regenerate contributors, improve the quality of contributions, and expand access to the digital ecosystem.
“For WordPress, this is a major step in the regeneration and recruitment of global contributors, the standardisation and quality improvement of contributions, encouraging inclusion and the democratisation of digital access, bridging the gap between the academic and industrial worlds, and strengthening the global open-source ecosystem,” said Pooja.
The WordPress Credits programme was first launched through cooperation with the University of Pisa and was announced to the public at WordCamp Europe 2025.
Through the participation of ITTS, this open-source project-based learning model is now being implemented in Indonesia. Students can gain experience working on real projects while collaborating within a technology ecosystem involving contributors from various countries.