The Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) today announced a new statewide certificate program designed to provide students with cutting-edge skills to participate in Georgia’s thriving app economy by teaching students app development with Swift.
Beginning in the Fall 2021 semester, the iOS App Development Certificate program will be offered at four TCSG colleges—Augusta Technical College, Chattahoochee Technical College, Gwinnett Technical College, and Wiregrass Georgia Technical College. The program uses the Develop in Swift curriculum and developer tools from Apple to provide students with the skills and competencies they need to prepare for a successful career in the app economy.
“I am thankful to the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) and Apple for launching this innovative new statewide program to help Georgians develop necessary skills for a rewarding career in app development,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “Our technical colleges are fostering tomorrow’s success stories right here at home, and I look forward to this program strengthening the Peach State’s dynamic, fast-growing tech field.”
The 2020 State of the U.S. App Economy report estimates the number of app economy jobs in Georgia to be roughly 170,000, with the state being among the fastest growing in the nation in this sector. According to job search site Indeed, the average iOS app developer salary in Georgia is $105,308 annually.
TCSG’s search for the best app development solutions led to an investment in Mac and Apple developer tools to help accelerate future career opportunities for every student while meeting industry demand. TCSG chose the open-source programming language Swift, because it makes it easier to write code and put app development into practice. Swift is one of the most popular programming languages among professional developers due to its performance, flexibility, scalability, and ability to be rapidly deployed—it’s the language of choice for both new and experienced developers. In fact, the majority of the top thousand apps in the App Store are built using Swift.
“Georgia’s employers are looking for a diverse workforce, and talent is everywhere. We are creating opportunities to participate in good paying jobs in a thriving industry,” said TCSG Commissioner Greg Dozier. “Apple is a remarkable company that continues to be a game-changer, and we are proud to be developing a workforce with these critical skills.”
Students can earn a technical certificate of credit from TCSG for their participation in the iOS App Development Certificate program and apply that to a future degree. The program will be made available at more TCSG colleges for the Spring 2022 semester through in-person instruction or via TCSG’s eCampus platform, which will allow students from any TCSG college to participate in the course and certification from anywhere in the state.
Students who want to earn further recognition and stand out even more among employers for their knowledge of Swift, Xcode, and app development tools can also earn App Development with Swift certifications from Apple.
