Apple is stepping up its skill-building and training initiatives for workers across its supply chain in India, with the launch of a new education hub in Bengaluru and an expanded set of development courses at supplier facilities across the country.

The new Apple Education Hub has been set up in collaboration with Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE). The hub will begin offering courses from March and is designed as a central space where trainers and employees from Apple’s supplier network can receive structured digital education.

Initially, the curriculum will focus on digital literacy and introductory Swift coding. Faculty members from MAHE will train supplier-appointed instructors, who will then deliver sessions to larger groups of workers at their respective manufacturing sites.

Alongside the Bengaluru hub, Apple is broadening the range of development programmes available to supplier employees at more than 25 locations across India. The expanded curriculum will roll out first at facilities operated by Tata Electronics and will include courses in digital literacy, Swift coding, robotics, automation technologies and smart manufacturing.

The new programmes are being funded through Apple’s $50 million global Supplier Employee Development Fund, which supports education and skill-building initiatives across the company’s supply chain.

“The same spirit of innovation that drives our products also guides our commitment to supporting people across our global supply chain,” said Sarah Chandler, Apple’s vice-president of environment and supply chain innovation. She said the expanded training would give thousands of employees in India access to new technical skills and career pathways.

Apple currently offers more than 75 courses for supplier employees in India, spanning technical, professional and health-related education, as well as programmes focused on workers’ rights and community resilience.

Apple also plans to expand its robotics training programme in India this year. Launched in December 2024, the initiative trains factory educators at dedicated robotics labs, after which the trainers adapt the curriculum and conduct sessions at their own facilities.

In addition to technical and management training, Apple said it continues to work with international organisations to improve rights awareness programmes across its supplier base, with an emphasis on dignity, respect and workplace standards.

The company is also expanding its Vocational Education for Persons with Disabilities programme in India this year. The initiative, which recently launched with supplier Salcomp, aims to improve employment and professional development opportunities for people with disabilities within Apple’s supply chain, while also strengthening accessibility and safety practices at supplier facilities. Globally, the programme has supported more than 18,000 supplier employees to date and builds on Apple’s long-standing partnership with the non-profit Enable India.

During the company’s latest earnings call, CEO Tim Cook highlighted Apple’s success story in India. “We did set a quarterly revenue record during the December quarter, and to go a little further down, we set quarterly revenue records on iPhone and Mac and iPad, and an all-time revenue record on Services. So it was a terrific quarter in India. We really like what we see there. "

He added: "It’s the second-largest smartphone market in the world and the fourth largest PC market. And we still have, despite very nice growth history, we have modest share there, and so we think there’s a huge opportunity for us there, and we could not be more excited about it. The other thing that I would point out is that the majority of customers that are buying iPhone and Mac and iPad and Watch are all new to that product and so it speaks very well to opportunity there.”

Apple opened its fifth store in India in December and plans to open another store in Mumbai soon.