APEC
Course enrollment platform for French school in Rome. Self-service portals, real-time availability, bilingual UI. 5+ years serving international families.
The Client
Lycée Chateaubriand is a prestigious French international school in Rome, Italy, part of the AEFE (Agency for French Education Abroad) network. The parents’ association (APEC, later rebranded Le CLAPE) organizes after-school activities, courses, and cultural programs for students.
The Business Challenge
The association faced several operational challenges:
- Manual enrollment process caused administrative bottlenecks during peak registration periods
- Limited course capacity led to frustrated parents unable to secure spots for popular activities
- Bilingual community (French/Italian) required dual-language support
- Payment tracking was disorganized across multiple methods (PayPal, bank transfers, checks)
- No centralized system for managing family profiles, children data, and enrollment history
The key constraint: Enrollment periods saw hundreds of parents competing for limited spots simultaneously, requiring a system that could handle high concurrency without double-booking.
The Solution
We delivered a custom e-commerce platform that digitized the entire enrollment workflow:
Core Capabilities
| Feature | Business Benefit |
|---|---|
| Online Registration | Self-service parent accounts reduced admin workload |
| Family Dashboard | Parents manage children profiles, view history, track payments |
| Real-time Enrollment | Live course availability prevents overbooking |
| Smart Cart System | 20-minute reservation timer ensures fair access during rush periods |
| Multi-Payment Support | PayPal, bank transfer, and check options with automated tracking |
| Bilingual Interface | Full French/Italian support serves diverse community |
| Admin Control Center | Staff can toggle registration, shop, and features without developer involvement |
| Reporting Suite | Exportable reports for courses, attendance, contacts, and finances |
My Contribution
As Frontend Developer, I was responsible for:
- User Interface Design & Development – Built the complete visual experience from scratch
- User Experience Optimization – Loading states, form validation, intuitive navigation
- Responsive Design – Cross-browser compatible interface
- Interactive Components – Carousels, galleries, modal windows, toggle controls
- Performance Optimization – Fast page loads through CDN integration and caching strategies
- Bilingual UI – Language switcher and multilingual template implementation
Backend development was led by Carlo Cifarelli, handling database architecture, WooCommerce customization, and server-side logic.
Technology Approach
| Layer | Approach |
|---|---|
| Platform | WordPress + WooCommerce (proven, maintainable, cost-effective) |
| Frontend | Custom theme built on modern web standards (HTML5, CSS3, jQuery) |
| Performance | Redis caching for high-traffic periods |
| Multilingual | WPML integration for French/Italian content |
| Payments | WooCommerce with PayPal and offline payment methods |
| Deployment | GitLab CI/CD for automated, reliable releases |
Results & Business Impact
Quantitative Outcomes
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Platform Lifespan | 5+ years of continuous operation |
| Development Activity | 900+ code commits (512 frontend, 414 backend) |
| Availability | Zero downtime during critical enrollment periods |
| Transition | Seamless rebrand from APEC to Le CLAPE (2019) |
Qualitative Outcomes
- Eliminated double-booking through real-time inventory management
- Reduced administrative burden with self-service parent portals
- Improved parent satisfaction with fair, transparent enrollment process
- Enabled remote management – staff can control system features without technical support
- Unified operations – single platform for registration, payments, and reporting
Key Challenges Solved
1. High-Demand Enrollment Periods
Problem: Hundreds of parents racing to book limited spots caused system strain and booking conflicts.
Solution: Cart reservation system with countdown timer ensures fair access while preventing double-booking.
2. Bilingual Community
Problem: French and Italian-speaking families needed native-language experience.
Solution: Full dual-language support with intuitive flag-based language switcher.
3. Diverse Payment Methods
Problem: Different families preferred different payment options (online vs. bank transfer vs. check).
Solution: Multi-gateway checkout with unified order tracking regardless of payment method.
Skills Demonstrated
- Custom WordPress Theme Development
- E-commerce Implementation (WooCommerce)
- Responsive Web Design
- JavaScript/jQuery Development
- Cross-browser Compatibility
- Performance Optimization
- Multilingual Web Applications
- Long-term Project Maintenance
- Team Collaboration (Frontend/Backend)
Technologies: WordPress, WooCommerce, HTML5, CSS3, jQuery, Redis, WPML, Docker, GitLab CI/CD