Apple has decided to provide the employees of its suppliers, access to learning opportunities and a chance at skill development. It has set up the ‘supplier employee development fund’ worth $50 million for the purpose.
The tech major will work with its supply-chain partners to support worker rights programmes designed by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) for the electronics sector. It will also lend support to the activities of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to ensure wider reach in terms of rights training and responsible labour-recruitment tools.
By next year, Apple hopes to see over one lakh supplier employees from across the world participating in the new learning opportunities offered. Along with leadership training, the courses will cover coding, technical certifications, green manufacturing and other emerging manufacturing basics, as well as robotics.
Thousands of Apple staff across India are expected to avail of these learning initiatives and develop professionally.
The fund will also be used to work with rights advocates, universities, and non-profit organisations to help empower Apple’s supplier staff and drive create more awareness about workplace rights.
With this move, Apple has yet again proved that it puts “people first” in whatever it does. As per the tech multinational’s Supplier Code of Conduct, all its suppliers are obliged to train their employees with regard to workplace rights. In fact, over 23 million workers worldwide, who are part of Apple’s global supply chain, have already been trained on worker rights.
