Apple Expands Supplier Training in India With New Education Hub

Apple is expanding its investment in the Indian workforce with the launch of a new Education Hub in Bengaluru. The initiative, designed to provide skill-building and training opportunities for people across its supply chain, includes a collaboration with the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) and a wider suite of development courses at supplier facilities throughout the country.



The Apple Education Hub will begin offering courses this March, operating as a collaborative space where trainers and students can learn directly from educators specialized in digital instruction. The curriculum focuses on essential modern skills, starting with digital literacy and Swift coding for beginners. Faculty from MAHE will instruct supplier trainers, who will then be equipped to deliver these sessions to larger groups of employees at their respective facilities.


Beyond the central hub, Apple is rolling out development courses to more than 25 supplier sites across India. Kicking off with Tata Electronics, the program covers digital literacy, robotics, automation technology, and smart manufacturing. This push is part of Apple's global $50 million Supplier Employee Development Fund. It comes at a time when Apple's manufacturing presence in the region is hitting new highs, with recent data showing the company has exported a record $50 billion worth of iPhones from India.

Sarah Chandler, Apple's vice president of Environment and Supply Chain Innovation, said the effort reflects the same focus on innovation that underpins Apple's products. The expansion follows the initial success of a robotics training program launched in December 2024, which trains factory educators at robotics labs. As Apple's local supply chain swells to nearly 45 companies, ensuring a skilled workforce is becoming increasingly critical for operations that now include complex assembly and potentially chip packaging in the future.

Apple is also scaling up its Vocational Education for Persons with Disabilities program, which recently launched with supplier Salcomp. Working alongside the nonprofit Enable India, the initiative connects people with employment opportunities across the supply chain while pushing for better safety and accessibility standards at factory sites. This focus on localized training mirrors recent moves in the U.S., where Apple expanded its Manufacturing Academy to offer free virtual courses.