Steve Wozniak announced an ambitious project called Woz U, an education platform with elements for workers, employers, and schools alike. Designed in conjunction with Southern Careers Institute, a for-profit university, Mr. Wozniak said his goal was to help people learn tech skills without accumulating a mountain of debt.
“People often are afraid to choose a technology-based career because they think they can’t do it,” Mr. Wozniak said in a statement. “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.”
He added, “Now is the time for Woz U, and we are only getting started.”
Woz U
Woz U is part digital platform, with educational programs and matching services available via a mobile app. The press release also said that campuses were planned for 30 cities across the U.S., more than likely tied to Southern Careers Institute facilities.
Launch programs include computer support specialists and software developers. Data science, mobile applications and cybersecurity programs are “coming soon.”
Also in the works are programs aimed at companies looking to train or retrain their workforce. Other programs aimed at K-12—Steve Wozniak’s passion—are also under development.
Reprogramming Education
Goodness knows our education system needs some revamping. There are whole swaths of people who feel left behind by all the change around them, something at the heart of some of the social upheaval we are witnessing even now.
If Steve Wozniak truly has an institutional method for helping more people learn new tech skills without going into massive debt, it could be even more important than that other little thing he did: inventing personal computers.
With that in mind, here’s hoping Woz U is the real deal.