Apple has underlined India’s rising importance in its global supply chain, saying the country’s growing manufacturing role reflects the depth of local talent, improving capabilities and sustained long-term investments in supplier development as the iPhone maker expands skilling initiatives alongside production capacity in the market.
In an interview with Moneycontrol, Sarah Chandler, Apple’s Vice President of Environment and Supply Chain Innovation said the company is deepening its commitment to supplier employees through the launch of its first Education Hub in Bengaluru, developed in partnership with Manipal Academy of Higher Education, with plans to roll out over 100 courses by 2026 across more than 25 supplier sites. The initiative will span advanced manufacturing, automation, coding, digital literacy and leadership training, as Apple positions skills development as central to both its India growth strategy and long-term manufacturing footprint.
Edited excerpts —
How is the company investing in worker education and capability-building to support long-term, value-led manufacturing growth?
My team is responsible for upholding Apple's values across our global supply chain — protecting the planet we all share, safeguarding the rights and well-being of workers, and, of course, as we'll discuss today, expanding opportunity for workers through education.
This work is obviously very, very important to Apple, and fundamentally, we believe that you can't make the best products in the world without investing in the people who help make them.
We really are working to continue to deepen our relationship with workers, and definitely to deepen our relationship with workers in India as we deepen our investment and support for people who help make our products here.
We're expanding educational opportunities for our supplier employees to build their technical and leadership skills here in India. We'll be launching the first-ever Apple Education Hub in Bengaluru.
To do that, we're working with Manipal Academy of Higher Education to elevate and expand supplier employee education programs. Specifically, we're looking at new curriculum and university-level instruction. Our experts will work with Manipal educators to deliver curriculum for Indian workers.
By the end of 2026, we expect to have more than 100 training courses available to employees at several of our major manufacturing facilities here in India. We're very excited to be launching the new offerings in March. We'll enhance high-tech training in automation, smart manufacturing, and coding.
This is a very momentous time for us, and I'm very excited to continue our commitment to having a positive impact everywhere our business reaches — and, of course, here in India with our suppliers and community partners.
Why is supplier education and skilling a priority for Apple’s supply chain strategy? What’s the impact so far?
Manufacturing is seeing tremendous growth across India, and that's exciting because it gives us an opportunity to deepen our support for the people who help make our products here. It's why we're so excited to open this hub.
It's a great opportunity to work with Manipal Academy of Higher Education. We're excited to see things like digital literacy and Swift coding, while doing training that allows suppliers to expand that training as well as we scale across facilities. That's very important to us.
Fundamentally, Apple is a company that values education. We believe it is a tremendous equalizer.
We want our supplier employees to be able to learn about new technologies, take classes, and build their leadership skills. We've seen these programs help many people advance in their jobs or even explore completely new opportunities.
We believe that it's really fundamentally important for people to be learning and to be educated. It's a core value.
As Apple expands its supply chain footprint in India, are there plans to introduce more advanced skilling and workforce development initiatives?
Yes. For supplier employees in India, we have a wide range of courses in cutting-edge fields that provide more opportunities as they navigate their professional development. The desire is to meet the worker where they are and then help them progress. As we expand access to education, we believe that gives everyone more ways to realize their potential.
Here in India, where skills are a key driver of economic opportunity and mobility, the impact can be really transformative for learners at every stage of life. We've already seen thousands of supplier employees in India benefit from professional development programs. Now, with new high-tech skill-building programs like robotics and advanced manufacturing, the hope is that more workers will unlock even more potential, especially in quickly growing areas of employment opportunity.
It's really important to us to expand training beyond technical skills. We want to provide education in rights. We want empowered workers. We want people to develop their leadership skills so they grow in both their personal and professional lives.
How do India’s supplier education programs compare with similar initiatives globally?
We have over 25 supplier sites in India already participating in these programs. We continue to learn from other places where we've deployed programs. We bring those learnings to India, and we share those learnings globally. In terms of education hubs, we have them in the United States, in Vietnam, in China, and now in India. It's a really exciting advancement for us. We continue to grow and expand.
We tailor our partners for local markets to make sure we're receptive to local communities, worker needs, and supplier feedback. That's one of the reasons we chose Manipal as our partner here in India. We think they're really well placed to provide a broad interdisciplinary approach.
Another program we're expanding in India is vocational education opportunities for persons with disabilities. Globally, 18,000 supplier employees are already participating, and now that it's expanding in India, we're very excited to see opportunities developing for worker populations eager to work in rapidly expanding sectors.
How does Apple’s growing supply chain presence in India connect to its growing popularity in India?
As I said, we show up with our values in everything we do, and we hope that's deeply felt by our customers — that they experience the care we put into our products. We also hope it's deeply felt by people working in our supply chain.
India's growing role in manufacturing reflects the depth of local talent, improving capabilities, and long-term investments across manufacturing and supplier development.
We love our customers in India, and across everything we do, we want people to remain at the center of Apple's growth in India — from supplier employees to partners on our retail teams. We will continue to invest in skills, well-being, and opportunity, supporting sustainable long-term growth here.
How significant is India’s role becoming in Apple’s global manufacturing footprint and supply chain expansion?
Like I said, we want to show up with our values everywhere we are. Workers in every place where we manufacture are critically important to us. Expanding access to education gives everyone more ways to realize their potential. Here in India, skills are a key driver of economic opportunity, and we think that can be transformative.
We're very excited to see our suppliers and supplier employees in India embrace this wide range of courses and take control of their professional development and gain more opportunities.
Is there any eligibility criteria for these courses?
We will have more detail as the courses evolve. Right now, we have over 25 supplier sites where this is a focus, but the hub will be open to all of our suppliers. We also leverage a train-the-trainer model, where suppliers can have trainers come for in-person learning. They gain hands-on experience and are trained to deliver the course content back at their supplier sites. That's something we'll be developing with the experts at Manipal to ensure as many workers as possible gain access to these courses.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
Find the best of Al News in one place, specially curated for you every weekend.
Stay on top of the latest tech trends and biggest startup news.
