Apple launched an app development curriculum for students who want to pursue careers in the app economy, which is available as a free download from the company’s iBooks Store.

Named App Development with Swift, the year-long course was designed by Apple engineers and educators to teach students elements of app design using Swift, a popular programming language.

“The app economy and software development are among the fastest-growing job sectors in America and we’re thrilled to be providing educators and students with the tools to learn coding,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO.

Students will learn to code and design fully functional apps, gaining critical job skills in software development and information technology, Apple said.

Six community college systems with around 500,000 students in the US will be among the first to offer the course. At some campuses, local businesses will offer mentoring and internships.

Houston Community College is even opening an iOS Coding and Design School to teach the curriculum.

App Development with Swift is an extension of Apple’s existing K-12 Everyone Can Code course.

Popular apps created with Swift include Airbnb, Kayak, TripAdvisor, Venmo and Yelp.

Earlier this month, Apple announced the creation of the Advanced Manufacturing Fund, focused on creating jobs in the US throughout its supply chain, with an initial investment of $1 billion.

“The new curriculum is another example of Apple’s commitment to economic development and will help create even more career opportunities for students across the country,” the company said.

In May 2016, Apple set up an accelerator programme in Bengaluru, India, to foster engineering talent and accelerate growth in the country’s iOS developer community.