AEM Academy - in the search of new Messi

They write in Java. They want to acquire new knowledge. They dream about access to Adobe certificates and educational materials of the highest quality. They are looking for a team of mentors who, within a few months, will prepare them to participate in commercial, large projects and … let them onto the pitch from the very first minute: the participants of Adobe Experience Manager Academy.

WHAT IS ADOBE EXPERIENCE MANAGER?

AEM is an important product of Adobe Experience Cloud. Based on Java, it is one of the best CMS systems used by the largest and most demanding companies in the world, such as BMW, Adidas, Lufthansa, Roche, and HSBC. It provides the ability to design and manage the content, that makes up the “customer experience”, based on various channels of reaching – mobile applications, websites, etc. All this with care for a uniform, consistent message, which is essential the marketing of the organization.

WHO CAN JOIN THE AEM ACADEMY?

Adobe Experience Manager integration and customization can be learned and this is what the AEM Academy is for. To be able to participate in the Academy, and then work in commercial TTMS projects, the following conditions must be met:

• At least 2 years of experience in Java
• Basic knowledge of HTML / CSS / JS, XML web technologies
• Knowledge of Maven, GIT / SVN, Eclipse / IntelliJ tools
• Good English
• Knowledge of OSGi frameworks (Karaf / Felix), knowledge of web servers (Apache) and German or Spanish (to a lesser extent) are also welcome

BARCELONA IS RUNNING FOR MESSI

Nowadays, recruitment often differs from our stereotypical ideas. The HR department does not look for Java specialists only in the e-mail box or browsing CV-s. It works a bit like a football club searching for candidates. Just as the legendary FC Barcelona once visited the Argentine pitches to see Leo Messi in action and take him to Spain for tests, TTMS is actively looking for talents, addressing people who meet the appropriate criteria. And although they are a bit different than in the case of Messi, we also need to spend a while on the training ground before appearing in the top league.

WHAT DOES THE PLAYER GAIN?

The “player” obtained by the Academy wins:

• knowledge in the field of implementation and customization of work with AEM, which is not easy to obtain on the market;
• knowledge of work methodology in accordance with the best Agile SCRUM practices;
• access to ADOBE Experience Cloud certificates (a large number of free vouchers) – people after the Academy have an open path to obtaining certificates and do not have to pay for it;
• participation in big projects for the largest organizations.

We don’t bother more people than needed. We do not want to send players to the “bench”. Every person in whom we have invested our knowledge and time, plays all matches – from the first to the last minute.

TRAINING PITCH

The person, who successfully passes the first stage of recruitment, led by our HR department, is presented with a cooperation proposal. This includes a 2-month Adobe Experience Manager Academy, combining intensive training, internships and the first stage of commercial work.

In order for the “coach” (that is one of our mentors) to focus on improving the skills of the “player”, he must have a training field at his disposal (an environment in which we improve our competences without the “match” stress, before we start playing in important matches). Therefore, the coach takes care of not more three players. In such comfortable conditions, it is able to efficiently and quickly prepare candidates for the first team for the game.

Even before the pandemic, the Academy started with a week-long preparatory camp, during which players were introduced to the basics. Using TTMS hardware support and mentoring, they learned from scratch: setting the environment, basic elements and were simply “building form” before the next stage.

Then, the candidates for the game went home to meet regularly during remote “trainings”, in the “distance” model that is common today. During this stage, which lasted 3 weeks, they had the opportunity to regularly consult their work with a mentor.

FIRST TEAM DEBUT

Already after the first month of such training, candidates for the game have the opportunity to make their debut in the first team, playing in “the match”, because this is how you can call work in the first commercial projects. They officially graduate from the AEM Academy, which does not mean that they lose their mentors – they stand at the sideline, watching and, if necessary, correcting the debutants’ game.

CHANGES AT THE ACADEMY DURING THE PANDEMIC

Due to the almost complete transition of TTMS to remote work, the mentors resigned from the formula of the preparatory camp – the first stage of the Academy. The integration element has gone (which is the problem, that affects us all), but as well as the logistic challenge (many candidates had to wait for the “group” to assemble, in order for the Academy to start). Now each “player” runs to the training field almost immediately, under the supervision of one of our mentors, practicing the first games.

The initial implementation, setting up the environment and learning Adobe materials also takes a week, but the work with the trainer is more individualized.

Our AEM team, as well as TTMS as an organization, is the highest culture of remote work, so completing the AEM Academy “distance” formula turned out to be a bull’s eye.

A great added value is also the possibility of using very good quality Adobe training materials, not available to the public, and entitled to us as partners.

Finally, by eliminating the preparatory part, the Academy was shortened to 2 months. And since the TTMS coaching staff considers the new formula to be optimized, it remains to be assumed that the change took place permanently.

Marcin Kapuściński – Transition Technologies MS S.A.
 

The team responsible for our Adobe Experience Manager consists of over 90 people. Meeting in person – at the TTMS Poznań office – is a great opportunity to summarize the projects carried out by the team and present the development plans of the TTMS AEM Team.