The Future of Polkadot Depends on Talent 
The Polkadot Blockchain Academy (PBA) is the single largest and most effective pipeline of talent into the Polkadot ecosystem. Over the past three years, close to 750 learners have completed our courses, many of whom now produce significant contributions towards Polkadot or ecosystem projects.
We are at a pivotal moment. The future of Polkadot depends not just on innovation but on a steady stream of highly skilled, motivated builders who can create and execute impactful projects, advance the network's capabilities and drive adoption. The PBA has proven its ability to deliver, our alumni are shaping the ecosystem, and demand for our programs has never been higher.
To capitalize on this momentum, we are requesting nine months of funding to scale our programs and diversify our offerings, making PBA more inclusive, relevant and far-reaching than ever before.
Why support PBA? A Track Record of Success 
<ul>
<li>We are the largest producer of well educated, Polkadot-native talent &ndash; No other initiative has onboarded more developers successfully.</li>
<li>Close to 70% of 409 PBA Campus graduates actively contributed to open-source Polkadot-related repositories in 2024.</li>
<li>Trusted by ecosystem leaders &ndash; Parity, The Web3 Foundation and other top teams recruit directly from our alumni.</li>
<li>Expanding accessibility &ndash; Our online course, PBA-X, launched in January with 580+ learners, and close to 60% completion rate, proving demand for remote education for a diverse audience.</li>
</ul>
Ongoing Evolution: Scaling &amp; Strengthening Polkadot&rsquo;s Talent Engine 
With this funding, we will:
<ul>
<li>Expand PBA&rsquo;s flagship in-person PBA Campus program (Wave 7) to train and place the next cohort of high-impact developers.</li>
<li>Launch The JAM Course, an intensive in person course demystifying Polkadot&rsquo;s JAM protocol, for top-tier engineers from the Web3 community.</li>
<li>Grow university partnerships, integrating PBA content into curricula and securing the next generation of builders.</li>
<li>Enhance alumni engagement through ongoing participation orientated events, education, placement and mentorship opportunities.</li>
<li>Build upon the success of PBA-X to offer new content based on the needs of the ecosystem, whilst continuing to run the original PBA-X content for 5 more cohorts in 2025.</li>
<li>Continue to identify, mentor and funnel new projects into the ecosystem via the Pitch and Mentor program.</li>
</ul>
Polkadot&rsquo;s growth depends on its builders. By funding PBA, we secure a sustainable, scalable pipeline of developers, entrepreneurs and advocates who will drive the ecosystem forward.
Follow the below link to find out more about our latest proposal;&nbsp;
<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/11fKCbYG79VomgYFK4FDsK534ihmfSDG3wCnmLpo_kws/edit?tab=t.0">https://docs.google.com/document/d/11fKCbYG79VomgYFK4FDsK534ihmfSDG3wCnmLpo_kws/edit?tab=t.0</a>

Polkadot Blockchain Academy, PBA Campus 7, The JAM Course launch, University partnerships expansion, ongoing PBA-X evolution, Alumni program. 9 months funding from April to December.

Treasury

Propose and approve a spend of treasury funds.

## Dispatch Origin

Must be [`Config::SpendOrigin`] with the `Success` value being at least
`amount` of `asset_kind` in the native asset. The amount of `asset_kind` is converted
for assertion using the [`Config::BalanceConverter`].

## Details

Create an approved spend for transferring a specific `amount` of `asset_kind` to a
designated beneficiary. The spend must be claimed using the `payout` dispatchable within
the [`Config::PayoutPeriod`].

### Parameters
- `asset_kind`: An indicator of the specific asset class to be spent.
- `amount`: The amount to be transferred from the treasury to the `beneficiary`.
- `beneficiary`: The beneficiary of the spend.
- `valid_from`: The block number from which the spend can be claimed. It can refer to
  the past if the resulting spend has not yet expired according to the
  [`Config::PayoutPeriod`]. If `None`, the spend can be claimed immediately after
  approval.

## Events

Emits [`Event::AssetSpendApproved`] if successful.

- **Problem Statement:** The future of Polkadot relies on a continuous influx of skilled individuals to drive innovation and adoption.
- **Significance:** PBA is the primary source of well-educated Polkadot talent, with a high percentage of graduates actively contributing to the ecosystem.
- **Proposed Solution:** Requesting nine months of funding to expand and enhance PBA programs, including in-person courses, online offerings, university partnerships, and alumni engagement.
- **Expected Outcomes:** By supporting PBA, Polkadot ensures a sustainable pipeline of developers, entrepreneurs, and advocates to propel the ecosystem's growth.

#1472 Polkadot Blockchain Academy, PBA Campus 7, The JAM Course launch, University partnerships expansion, ongoing PBA-X evolution, Alumni program. 9 months funding from April to December.

No Active Proposals