A VC-backed organization called Prota Institute bills themselves as "the world's first remote-learning vocational school that teaches students within active startups and charges tuition as a percentage of salary after landing a job." Among the programs they offer is, of great interest to us, the Industrial Design Entrepreneurship Track.

This isn't for those fresh out of high school; Prota's site says "Industrial Design Entrepreneurship students should have a background in Industrial Design, Mechanical Engineering, and/or 3D CAD, with a portfolio or website to gage overall experience." It appears that admitted students are paired with startup companies independent of any brick-and-mortar Prota campus--that explains the "remote-learning" part--and will reportedly receive hands-on education in the following areas:

- Value Proposition Design
- Industrial Design
- Prototyping
- Manufacturing
- Crowdfunding

Here's a snippet from their site on the matter of tuition:

Seriously, I only pay after I land a job?
Yes. We believe our success as a school should be driven by your success as a professional in a career you love.... Contact us to learn more about the forthcoming details of the salary percentage/duration we charge after graduation and our minimum salary guarantee.

It will be interesting to see how this unfolds.

If any of you end up applying, please let us know how it goes.