WSO2 is launching the WSO2 SOA Summer School program to help the many IT professionals worldwide whose careers are being impacted by the global recession. The free classes will enable enterprise IT architects and developers to become more familiar with SOA concepts, technologies, and best practices—expanding the expertise they bring to either current or prospective employers. WSO2 SOA Summer School sessions will be held every Thursday at 9:00 a.m. PDT for eight consecutive weeks, beginning June 18, 2009.

“Our SOA Summer School program provides us an opportunity to give back to the developer community, which has been hit hard by the global recession. Not only has it left many talented individuals out of work, it also has increased the demands on those who remain,” said Dr. Sanjiva Weerawarana, WSO2 founder and CEO. “By sharing our insights on state-of-the-art SOA practices and technologies, we can help architects and developers increase their marketability and establish themselves as essential members of the enterprise IT team.”

WSO2 has developed a wealth of knowledge on SOA best practices through the professional consulting, design and training it provides customers. The same senior technical experts delivering WSO2's onsite and online training are leveraging their SOA implementation expertise to create and teach eight customized courses for the SOA Summer School. With this program, WSO2 is opening its doors to all individuals who want to boost their SOA knowledge directly from some of the industry's leading experts—thousands of dollars worth of professional training at zero cost. Details on the program and how to sign up can be found by visiting http://wso2.org/training.

“SOA best practices will be a deciding factor in how organizations leverage and adopt cloud computing models. Learning swiftly and well on SOA implementations sets the stage for implementing cloud and service fabrics productively. With this series of vendor-agnostic classes on SOA best practices, WSO2 is helping enterprise IT professionals both brush up on currently demanded skills—as well as set themselves up as leaders for the next era in computing,” said Dana Gardner, founder of IT research firm Interarbor Solutions, and author of Dana Gardner’s BriefingsDirect blog on ZDNet.com. “WSO2’s innovative approach to training addresses the tactical and strategic requirements of a successful enterprise architect and leader.”