Applications opened today for a PHP, MySQL, and WordPress class at Omaha-based Interface School, sponsored by Flywheel. Starting this April, the 11-week course will focus on grooming students into junior WordPress developers, instructed by Flywheel’s support-team lead Josh Lawler.

“They’re going to have a really great understanding of the languages that operate WordPress,” Josh said. “If you choose one little piece of PHP to zero in on, you could not lift your head for years. There’s that much there. So I want to be able to communicate to them the bigger picture and provide them resources to understand the scope of that whole realm and know where they can find tools when necessary.”

A key part of this collaboration between Flywheel and Interface School involves a tuition reimbursement schedule. Graduating students who accept job offers at Flywheel can expect reimbursement starting at $3,750.

“I love love love love partnering with local companies,” said Shonna Dorsey, Interface School’s managing director and cofounder. “It gives students exposure to a company that’s Omaha-based. We’d love people to find jobs here and stay here. So that’s really our key motivation. And Flywheel’s a good place to start your career.”

Those interested in applying to the class should know that the process includes an online assessment. “You get three or four days to turn it back in,” Shonna explained, “and you get to use whatever resources you want. You figure it out, because that’s how the real world works. You have to be able to find things, and when you can’t find things, know when to ask for help. But don’t not try.”

The assessment mimics the climate of the class itself — Shonna suggested that it’ll take another 10 hours of study outside of class to really ensure success.

“We’re looking for students willing to learn,” Josh said. “People who are self-motivated and willing to put the time in and do their own research.” No more than 10 students will be admitted to the class.

As a result, Shonna said she hopes the class will be an answer to the difficulty of finding WordPress developers that can actually extend functionality. “Especially for companies that need to hire web developer talent and are more interested in grooming junior talent.”

The collaborative class also gives Flywheel a chance to specifically contribute to the design and development community in Omaha.

“We haven’t really done anything like this before,” Josh said. “We’ve sponsored WordCamps and meetups and put ourselves out in those ways, but this is a more tangible way, I feel like, of embedding ourselves into the community of new designers and developers and people who are looking to enter that community. Flywheel can be a channel for that.”

Interested in signing up? Check out Interface School’s PHP, MySQL, and WordPress course here, sponsored by Flywheel.