These self-paced IT training and certification programs can show you how to support iPhones, Macs and other Apple devices in the workplace.
If you're looking to change careers, Apple has introduced two new professional training and certification programs to train IT workers, or anyone who wants to start a career in IT. Apple's programs will explain how to deploy, manage and support iPhones, Macs and other Apple devices used in the workplace. You can sign up for the courses here.
Apple named the courses Apple Device Support and Apple Deployment and Management, and the courses are sequential.
The Apple Device Support course covers tools, services and best practices for Apple products, and the company said the course has about 14 hours of content to cover. Once completed, you'll have to take an exam to earn certification and to advance to the next course.
The Apple Deployment and Management course will show you how to configure, manage and secure Apple products using Mobile Device Management. Apple estimates there is about 13 hours of content in this course. Once the course is complete, you can take the certification exam.
Each exam costs $149. Apple said it will offer scholarships covering the cost of the exams to students in its Community Education Initiative. Anyone with financial difficulties can also apply for vouchers from the Mac Admins Foundation to help pay for the cost of the exams.
"Apple Professional Training helps anyone with an interest in technology … pursue high-paying IT jobs with certifications that will stand out to potential employers," Susan Prescott, Apple's vice president of enterprise and education marketing, said in a release. "The new courses are self-paced and freely available, and we are working to ensure ability to pay isn't a barrier to earning Apple certification."
Apple is also offering in-person preparatory courses at community colleges and universities. A version of these courses was offered at Austin Community College in Austin, Texas, in 2020. Maricopa Community Colleges in Chandler and Mesa, Arizona and Ed Farm, an education nonprofit based in Birmingham, Alabama, will offer the courses soon.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics found the number of jobs in the computer and information technology field is expected to grow by 13% by 2030, and there are about 42,400 openings in this field each year. The median yearly wage for these careers is about $97,430, which is much higher than the median yearly wage for all other jobs at $45,760.