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The Woz U digital institute aims to “revamp higher education for the tech industry” by training people with the skills demanded by high-paying technology employers across the U.S. and the world.
Steve Wozniak, one of Apple’s original founders, has launched a new online platform that wants to train people for “high-paying technology” jobs. The Woz U digital institute aims to “revamp higher education for the tech industry” by filling the skills gap for technology jobs across the United States.
According to the press release, Woz U is designed to get people into the workforce “quickly and affordably.” Initially, the courses will be completely online and will focus on training for computer support specialists and software developers (.Net, JavaScript, Ruby, and Java).
In the second stage, it is expected that the institute will expand to multiple business platforms and to brick-and-mortar campuses in more than 30 cities across the U.S. and globally with courses on data science, mobile applications, and cybersecurity programs.
“Our goal is to educate and train people in employable digital skills without putting them into years of debt,” said Wozniak, who co-founded Apple Computer and invented the Apple II computer. “People often are afraid to choose a technology-based career because they think they can’t do it. I know they can, and I want to show them how.”
In the future, Woz U will be divided into six business platforms:
- Woz U Online: 24/7 flexible online programs with live access to instructors and mentors, high-quality video-based curriculum, and comprehensive career services.
- Woz U Education: Will provide K-12 institutions with career pathways through STEAM programs to help identify talent. Moreover, the Woz U Certified Educator program will train teachers to become co-collaborators with students engaged in technology-driven, project-based learning.
- Woz U Enterprise: Will offer customized programs to help businesses recruit, re-train, and retain employees.
- Woz U Academy: (Coming in 2018) The academies will feature one-to-one instruction, adaptive learning technology and career advisors to help guide students into their career path. Students will have the option to be fully immersed or learn at their own pace.
- Woz U Accelerator: (Coming in 2019) The accelerator will identify and develop elite talent and place them into the fastest growing, top technology companies around the world. Students at the Online and Academy platforms will learn entrepreneurship and how to finance their startups through an 12-16 month fully-immersive program.
- Woz U Mobile App: The app will provide an aptitude test to help people understand which field of tech they’re best suited based on their interests and strengths.
Woz U is led by Exeter Education higher education experts that will help students learn the skills demanded by the technology industry with a flexible program, live access to instructors and mentors and comprehensive career services. Woz U is also part of Southern Careers Institute (SCI) and will look for partnerships with other institutions in the future.
“My entire life I have worked to build, develop and create a better world through technology and I have always respected education,” Wozniak said. “Now is the time for Woz U, and we are only getting started.”
To date, no information is available on tuition costs.
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This article from Observatory of the Institute for the Future of Education may be shared under the terms of the license CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 
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