• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechFortune 500

Why Apple Is Returning to Community College

By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 25, 2017, 2:03 PM ET

Community college students may have a lot more Apple-related course work during the new school year.

The technology giant said Friday that its education curriculum related to its Swift programming language would be offered at 30 community colleges throughout the U.S.

Apple CEO Tim Cook announced the curriculum rollout at a press conference in Austin, Tex. with the city’s mayor, Steve Adler. Several community colleges in Austin will begin teaching the Apple-sanctioned curriculum, which Apple said would reach 74,000 students this fall.

Apple CEO Tim Cook in Austin to announce new App Development program to be a taught at ACC. @KVUE pic.twitter.com/9uBVNnQCFX

— JP Harrington (@thephotogman) August 25, 2017

Apple (AAPL) said that the other community colleges that would teach its courses include Northeast Mississippi Community College, Northwest Kansas Technical College, and schools in the Alabama Community College System.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

“We’ve seen firsthand how Apple’s app ecosystem has transformed the global economy, creating entire new industries and supporting millions of jobs,” Cook said in a statement. “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.”

Apple debuted its Swift programming in 2014 as its preferred method for third-party developers to build apps for devices like the iPhone and MacBook computers.

The company released its Swift school curriculum for high school and community college students in May. At the time, Apple said six community colleges would offer courses based on the curriculum this coming fall, including schools in Alabama, Houston, and San Mateo, Calif.

Apple isn’t the only big tech company spreading its influence at U.S. schools.

Amazon (AMZN), for example, said last week that it would give 1,600 of its web-connected Echo Dot speakers to Arizona State University engineering students. The speakers are to be handed out as part of some new Arizona State coding classes for students to learn how to build voice skills, or apps, for Amazon’s Alexa voice-activated digital assistant.

Big tech companies are using their school-related programs to try to influence a new generation of software developers. If these big companies can convince schools to teach courses specifically related to their preferred technologies, they can guarantee that their future employment pipeline is well stocked with prospective hires and that developers know how to build apps for their products.

About the Author
By Jonathan Vanian
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jonathan Vanian is a former Fortune reporter. He covered business technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data privacy, and other topics.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.


Latest in Tech

AIBrainstorm AI
Natasha Lyonne says AI has an ethics problem because right now it’s ‘super kosher copacetic to rob freely under the auspices of acceleration’
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezDecember 20, 2025
60 minutes ago
Sam Altman looks down and to the side, frowning.
AIOpenAI
Sam Altman says he’s ‘0%’ excited to be CEO of a public company as OpenAI drops hints about an IPO: ‘In some ways I think it’d be really annoying’
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 19, 2025
20 hours ago
AIDebt
AI hyperscalers have room for ‘elevated debt issuance’ — even after their recent bond binge, BofA says
By Jason MaDecember 19, 2025
21 hours ago
Late Apple cofounder Steve Jobs
SuccessCareers
Steve Jobs sold his Volkswagen to raise $1,300 for Apple’s first computer. He became a millionaire just two years later at 23
By Emma BurleighDecember 19, 2025
22 hours ago
Yann LeCun smiles and adjusts his glasses
AIVenture Capital
AI whiz Yann LeCun is already targeting a $3.5 billion valuation for his new startup—and it hasn’t even launched yet
By Dave SmithDecember 19, 2025
22 hours ago
David Baszucki with his thumbs up
SuccessCareer Advice
Roblox CEO David Baszucki went from window cleaner to billionaire tech leader. He says a secret to success has been trusting his gut
By Preston ForeDecember 19, 2025
22 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
AI
Meta’s 28-year-old billionaire prodigy says the next Bill Gates will be a 13-year-old who is ‘vibe coding’ right now
By Eva RoytburgDecember 19, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
The $38 trillion national debt is to blame for over $1 trillion in annual interest payments from here on out, CRFB says
By Nick LichtenbergDecember 17, 2025
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
As graduates face a ‘jobpocalypse,’ Goldman Sachs exec tells Gen Z they need to know their commercial impact 
By Preston ForeDecember 18, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
The scientist who helped create AI says it’s only ‘a matter of time’ before every single job is wiped out—even safer trade jobs like plumbing
By Orianna Rosa RoyleDecember 19, 2025
24 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Billionaire who sold two companies to Coca-Cola says he tries to persuade people not to become entrepreneurs: ‘Every single day, you can go bankrupt’
By Dave SmithDecember 19, 2025
23 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
‘This is a wacky number’: economists cry foul as new government data assumes zero housing inflation in surprising November drop
By Eva RoytburgDecember 18, 2025
2 days ago