BENGALURU: Apple has launched an Apple Education Hub in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru to expand skill-building for employees at its supplier factories and service partners across India. The company said the facility, run in collaboration with the Manipal Academy of Higher Education, will begin offering courses in March, starting with digital literacy and introductory Swift coding. Apple said the hub is intended to support training for workers across its India supply chain as it rolls out a wider suite of development courses at supplier sites nationwide.
Apple said the Education Hub will bring together trainers and students to learn directly from educators specialised in digital education. Faculty from MAHE will deliver curricula to supplier trainers, who are expected to run sessions for larger groups of employees at their own facilities. Sarah Chandler, Apple’s vice president of Environment and Supply Chain Innovation, said the company is expanding technical training in India so “thousands of employees” can learn new skills and explore career growth within the supply chain.
c the new Bengaluru hub, Apple is expanding development courses to supplier employees at more than 25 sites in India, starting with Tata Electronics. The curriculum covers digital literacy, Swift coding, robotics, automation technology and smart manufacturing, Apple said. The company did not disclose how many workers will enroll in the first round. Apple described the rollout as the latest initiative backed by its global $50 million Supplier Employee Development Fund.
Programs across India
Apple said it and its partners currently offer more than 75 courses for supplier employees in India, spanning technical and professional skills, health education and community resilience programs. The company said its supplier engagement also includes rights-awareness training and other workplace education. Under Apple’s Supplier Code of Conduct, suppliers are required to provide employees with training on workplace rights, and Apple said the programs are designed to help ensure workers are treated with dignity and respect.
The $50 million fund was announced by Apple in 2022, alongside partnerships with organisations including the International Labour Organization and the International Organization for Migration. Apple said it has offered in-person and virtual education, skill-building and enrichment courses for people in its supply chain since 2008. The company said its supplier educational programming has reached more than 5 million people, and that over 23 million workers have received workplace rights training across its global supply chain.
Robotics and inclusive workforce training
In India, Apple said an earlier robotics training program launched in December 2024 trains and qualifies factory educators at robotics labs through hands-on instruction. After completing the lab work, the trainers tailor course material and deliver sessions at their respective facilities, Apple said. The company said it plans to expand the robotics offering to additional supplier sites in 2026, adding to the hub’s broader curriculum in automation technology and smart manufacturing.
Apple said it is also growing its Vocational Education for Persons with Disabilities program in India in 2026 after a recent launch with supplier partner Salcomp. The program works with suppliers to provide employment and professional development opportunities for people with disabilities and to improve safety, accessibility and inclusivity practices at supplier facilities, Apple said. Apple said the initiative builds on its partnership with local nonprofit Enable India and has benefited more than 18,000 supplier employees globally to date – By Content Syndication Services.