Apple launches $50 million fund for supplier employee development

The US tech giant Apple Inc has launched a $50 million Supplier Employee Development Fund to expand access to learning opportunities and skill development in its latest push to better empower people across its supply chain.

Apple has offered in-person and virtual education, skill-building, and enrichment courses since 2008, providing opportunities for people in its supply chain to gain new technical and leadership skills.

With the new $50 million commitment, Apple said on Wednesday that it is significantly expanding the scope of these offerings, adding new educational resources for people in its supply chain — and the surrounding communities — to develop the skills necessary for the jobs of today and tomorrow.

The new education initiatives will make trainings and coursework available to supplier employees around the world, with programming initially available to individuals in the US, China, India, and Vietnam, the company said.

By 2023, Apple expects more than 100,000 supplier employees to participate in new learning opportunities — from leadership training and technical certifications to classes on coding, robotics, and advanced manufacturing fundamentals, including green manufacturing.

Apple's supplier employee educational programming has already reached more than 5 million people.

The company said it is also working alongside supply chain partners to amplify workers' voices. That includes supporting workers' rights programs created by the International Labour Organization (ILO) for people in the electronics sector, and the work the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is doing to expand rights trainings and scale its industry-leading responsible labor recruitment tools.

Sarah Chandler, Apple's senior director of Environment and Supply Chain Innovation, said "We put people first in everything that we do, and we're proud to announce a new commitment to accelerate our progress and provide even more opportunities for people across our supply chain."