Want to learn how to program on Android?

Tomorrow, February 1st, the Linux Foundation, the non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, will be announcing six new training courses dedicated to the development of Linux-based mobile operating systems Android and MeeGo.

What with Android seeing 2,000 percent growth in tablets according to Strategy Analytics, there's a lot of Android programming work coming. This growth, I might add, came before most Android tablets were even out. The real rush of Android tablets to the market won't happen until later this year.

On top of that, IDC estimates that 17 million tablets were shipped worldwide in 2010, and that in 2011 there will be 44.6 million tablets shipped. Sure a lot of those will be iPads but many of them are also going to be powered by Android.

Let me also point out that Strategy Analytics wasn't even looking at the smartphone market. Both in homes and in businesses, Android phones is making a real war of it with Apple's iPhone.

If you want to be a programmer-solider on the in that war on the Android side, you need to know Android. That's why the Linux Foundation will be offering three new Android classes: LF329: Introduction to Android; LF315: Android Internals; and LF295: Android Bootcamp.

The Linux Foundation is doing this because, as Jennifer Closer, Director of Communications & Community for the Linux Foundation told me, "More and more companies are coming to us looking for developer talent specific to Android and MeeGo. These new courses will help train developers on two of the most popular Linux-based OSes, advancing developers' careers, aiding companies in finding talent and accelerating Linux in the mobile space."

She has a point. After all, even Google is looking for a few thousand or so good Android developers.

MeeGo though? Seriously? I like MeeGo, but MeeGo looks like a case of "too-little, too-late" to the smartphone and tablet operating systems wars. Closer informed me though that Nokia has posted 19 MeeGo-related jobs in the last 30 days." While that's not on the same ballpark as Android, there does seem to be some life there. In addition, MeeGo is easier for traditional Linux desktop developers to get up to speed on than Android.

For MeeGo, the classes will be LF363: Portable Application Development for MeeGo Devices; LF273: MeeGo Training for Non-Developers; and LF361: Hands-on Approach to MeeGo Internals and OBS Build System.

All of these classes are part of the Linux Foundation's Training Program. This is made up of corporate, custom, compliance, virtual and in-person courses. It also includes a free training Webinar series. The Training Program provides vendor-neutral, technically advanced learning opportunities.

"We continue to see unprecedented demand for Linux expertise from our members and the industry at large. The Linux Foundation Training Program gives professionals a unique learning opportunity to build their resume with the most sought-after skills," said Jim Zemlin, executive director at The Linux Foundation in a statement. "We're happy to be able to offer Android and MeeGo developer training to equip professionals with the best skills to further their careers and to accelerate development efforts of Linux in the mobile computing market."

To help kick off the new series of classes, the Linux Foundation will be offering the Hands-on Approach to MeeGo Internals and OBS Build System course at its Linux Foundation Annual Collaboration Summit. The first 20 people to register for the following class by March 1, 2011 will receive a special invitation to also attend all three days of the Collaboration Summit, which is an invitation-only event usually reserved for Linux  Foundation members and the Linux development community.