The Office of Continuing Education at Southern Polytechnic State University will begin offering a Yamacraw-related certificate program and courses to prepare individuals for leadership positions in high-tech companies developing or producing equipment incorporating embedded systems this month.

The Yamacraw project, launched in January 1999, is a strategic initiative to make the state of Georgia the global leader in designing high bandwidth communications systems and components. It is expected to dramatically increase the number of high-tech companies and employees in Georgia within the next five years.

The non-credit certificate program consists of five courses tat focus on embedded systems, real-time operating systems, software processes and digital signal processing. There is both classroom and lab time in the 204-hour program.

The Embedded Systems Certificate Program is the first of SPSU's Office of Continuing Education certificates in Yamacraw focus areas. It will qualify the individual to make decisions regarding embedded systems in the design, development and manufacture of high tech equipment, the qualification of personnel and methodologies utilized in the application of embedded systems.

The certificate will include courses in Introduction to Embedded Systems, Embedded Systems Principles, Real-Time Operating Systems, Software Processes for Embedded Systems and Introduction to Digital Signal Processing. The curriculum is lecture and lab based with numerous real world applications. Classes will begin June 20^th.

In addition to the embedded systems certificate, Yamacraw-related courses will later be offered in programming, database development, web and network development, and fiber optics. In addition to Continuing Education certificate programs, work has continued on both undergraduate and graduate Yamacraw degree programs at SPSU.

Additional information on this new certificate program and other technology offerings can be found at ww2.spsu.edu/oce or by calling 678-915-3575.