Apple Co-founder Steve Wozniak Launches Own Online Tech Education Platform

Steve Wozniak, who co-founded Apple with Steve Jobs, is launching a new online tech education platform he’s calling Woz U,  which is designed to promote technology jobs and the skills required to  enter the industry. Over time, Wozniak hopes to expand the initiative  to include as many as 30 physical locations around the world and courses  on everything from software engineering and information technology to  mobile app development and cybersecurity, among others. It’s unclear  whether courses will be offered for free, or whether Woz U plans on  charging for any element of the online education platform. The website  does not say.  

Woz U also offers access to tech companies interested in using the tools  and resources provided to recruit and train employees. The platform  will be available to students K-12 through partnerships with school  districts too. Down the line, Woz U wants to offer one-on-one  instruction to students and, later on, to offer its own accelerator  program for prospective startup founders. The overall goal is to  increase interest in what Woz U calls STEAM careers, or science,  technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics, with the addition of  arts presumably a nod to Wozniak’s role at Apple and fellow co-founder  Steve Jobs’ lifelong mission to blend technology with the humanities.

“Our goal is to educate and train people in employable digital skills  without putting them into years of debt,” Wozniak said in a statement.  “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. My entire life I have worked to build, develop, and create a better  world through technology and I have always respected education. Now is  the time for Woz U, and we are only getting started.”  

There are no pricing details on any of the existing or planned features. There is, however, already a mobile app out  with some introductory courses, and you can also “enroll” in Woz U  starting today, though it’s unclear what exactly that entails beyond  submitting a few bits of personal contact information. The whole  enterprise seems polished enough, although it should be noted though  that Woz U’s initial partner is the for-profit Southern Careers  Institute, based out of Austin, Texas. So don’t expect everything in Woz  U to be free. 
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