More Schools Adding Apple’s Swift App Development to Curriculum
Apple announced this week the App Development with Swift curriculum will now be offered in more than 30 community college systems across the country in the coming school year—providing opportunities for millions of students to build apps.
Created by engineers and educators at Apple, the full-year app development course teaches students how to build apps using Swift, an open source programming language that emphasizes safety, performance and modern software design patterns.
“We’ve seen firsthand how Apple’s app ecosystem has transformed the global economy, creating entire new industries and supporting millions of jobs,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO.
“We believe passionately that same opportunity should be extended to everyone, and community colleges have a powerful reach into communities where education becomes the great equalizer.”
The Austin Community College District will begin offering the course to its 74,000 students this fall. With more than 7,000 current job openings in tech fields in Austin, regional leaders have aligned on a workforce development plan that empowers residents to take advantage of these opportunities.
“We’re thrilled to have Apple join our mission to make Austin more affordable for people who already live in the city,” said Austin Mayor Steve Adler. “Apple is going to be a force multiplier in the community’s ongoing efforts to lift 10,000 out of poverty and into good jobs over the next five years.”
Other community colleges adding the App Development with Swift curriculum this fall include the Northeast Mississippi Community College and Northwest Kansas Technical College.
Apple said its app economy supports 1.5 million job in the US. In 2016, US software developers earned $5 billion through the App Store, a 40 per cent increase over 2015.
