(Yicai Global) March 31 -- Apple has launched a USD50 million fund to expand access to learning opportunities and skills development among workers in the US tech giant’s supply chain, starting with those in the United States, China, India, and Vietnam.

The Supplier Employee Development Fund will provide training and coursework to staff at its suppliers, California-based Apple said in a statement released on its website yesterday.

By next year, Apple expects more than 100,000 such 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, it 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,” said Sarah Chandler, senior director of environment and supply chain innovation at Apple.

“Together with rights advocates and education leaders, we are continuing to drive new innovation to support people and the planet,” she said.

Apple has offered in-person and virtual education, skills-building, and enrichment courses since 2008, providing opportunities for people in its supply chain, it said, adding that to date, its supplier employee educational programming has reached more than five million people.

The new fund will further enhance support for suppliers’ workers, hoping to improve their skills to seize opportunities in the future, The Paper reported yesterday, citing Ge Yue, Apple China’s managing director.

“We conducted a series of training on programming, robotics, and automation for supplier employees in the past,” Ge said, noting that “this time, we are further empowering them to meet the needs of China’s manufacturing sector.”

In 2020, Apple had more than 200 suppliers worldwide, representing 98 percent of the company’s direct spending for materials, manufacturing, and products assembly, according to the 2021 Apple Supplier List. Among them, 53 were from the Chinese mainland, 12 of which were new entries.

Editor: Futura Costaglione