Stories from The Carpentries Community: Why Skill-Building, Teaching, and Community Matter for Open Science
A Community Teaching Data Skills for Open Science
The Carpentries is a global community dedicated to teaching foundational data and computational skills for research and professional practice. Our programs help people work more effectively with data, code, and software while supporting open, reproducible science.
Today, the community includes:
- 5,405 certified Instructors
- 185 Instructor Trainers
- 4,965 workshops taught in 72 countries
But these numbers only tell part of the story.
The real impact of The Carpentries comes from the people who teach, learn, and collaborate through our programs. Through our Partnership program, organisations join a global network focused on building local capacity for teaching data skills.
Rather than relying on one-time training events, partners use these programs to build sustainable communities of practice around data skills and open science.
Why the Carpentries Approach Works for Science
Modern research depends on computational and data skills. Yet many researchers are asked to work with code, data, and collaborative tools without formal training.
The Carpentries addresses this gap through:
- hands-on workshops focused on practical research skills
- evidence-based teaching practices that make technical learning accessible
- openly developed lesson materials maintained by a global community
- training programs that prepare Instructors to teach others
This approach helps researchers become more confident working with data while also improving collaboration, reproducibility, and transparency in scientific work.
Stories from the Community
Across The Carpentries community, individuals regularly share how these programs have influenced their work and careers.
For some, the impact has been career-defining.
“I honestly don’t think I’d be a gainfully employed climate scientist without The Carpentries. It’s been that impactful. Career defining.”
— Dr. Damien Irving, Climate Data Scientist, CSIRO Climate Science Centre
Others highlight how the community has shaped their professional development.
“Changed my career trajectory in a very positive way.”
— Dr. Kate Hertweck, Open Science Program Manager
“I went from a learner to an Instructor and completely changed the trajectory of my career. It helped me find my people.”
— Dr. Saranya Canchi, Data Engineer - Bioinformatics, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
For many Instructors, The Carpentries provides a pathway to grow as educators.
“It has made me a more confident instructor of coding and coding-adjacent skills.”
— Dr. Amanda Kis, Lecturer, University of Oklahoma
“The Carpentries taught me how to be more compassionate and think about teaching towards someone else’s needs.”
— Dr. Daniel Chen, Lecturer, University of British Columbia
And for many Carpentries community members, the community itself becomes one of the most meaningful aspects of the experience.
“I like the sense of community and ability to connect with and collaborate with people from around the world.”
— Gorata Bridget Malose, Graduate Student, Columbia University
Growing Communities of Practice
The Carpentries model is designed to support a cycle of learning and teaching.
Participants attend workshops to learn new skills. Some then become Instructors and teach others. Over time, these Instructors help build local communities that continue sharing knowledge and supporting one another.
As one community member described it:
“I’ve watched a prospective instructor build their confidence and teach with more impact than I had ever seen.”
— Jonah Duckles, Co-Founder, Organizational Mycology
This progression helps institutions move beyond individual training events toward sustained skill development.
Join The Carpentries Community
The Carpentries Partnership program helps organisations support their researchers, staff, and students in developing essential data and computational skills.
Partners gain access to training programmes, professional development opportunities, and community engagement resources that help build sustainable teaching capacity.
Whether your organisation is just beginning to explore skills training or already supports open science initiatives, partnering with The Carpentries can help strengthen your local community while contributing to a global movement for better research practices.
Learn More About Partnering with The Carpentries
If you’re interested in learning more about your organisation can partner with The Carpentries, we invite you to join us at one of our upcoming information sessions, or schedule an individual conversation with us.
Session 1
- Tuesday, 21 April, 2026 at 16:30 UTC
- Check your local time and register here.
Session 2
- Wednesday, 22 April, 2026 at 09:00 UTC
- Check your local time and register here.
During these sessions, we will:
- take a guided tour of the new Partnership Program,
- explain how it differs from our former Membership Program,
- explore the available programming and customisation options, and
- discuss how to align a partnership with your organisation’s training and capacity-building goals.
We hope to see you there!