Dive Brief:
- Apple and Michigan State University will open the Apple Manufacturing Academy to help small and medium-sized businesses improve their operations, the school announced Thursday.
- The program will be based in Detroit but will be open to companies nationwide, offering both in-person and online courses focused on project management, manufacturing process optimization, vocational and leadership skills.
- Apple engineers and experts from MSU will also consult businesses on how to implement artificial intelligence and smart manufacturing techniques. The program is set to open this summer.
Dive Insight:
This is the second time Apple and MSU have collaborated on a program. In 2021, the two parties opened the Apple Developer Academy, which teaches coding, design and business with Apple’s tools to help participants create their own path in or with the tech industry.
Since its opening, also located in Detroit, roughly 200 participants have graduated from the program annually, according to the release.
The academy is part of Apple’s U.S. advanced manufacturing fund, which it pledged in February to double to a $10 billion investment. The fund, created in 2017, aims to support advanced manufacturing and skills development nationwide.
As of Feb. 24, the fund has supported projects in 13 states that helped build local businesses and train workers, as well as create new manufacturing processes and materials for Apple products.
Additionally, the advanced manufacturing fund includes Apple’s commitment to produce advanced silicon in one of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s fabrication facilities in Arizona. The iPad maker is the Phoenix plant’s largest customer and the facility began mass production of Apple’s chips in January.
The manufacturing programs are part of Apple’s intent to spend more than $500 billion and create 20,000 jobs in the U.S. over the next four years. The investment pledge includes opening a new server facility in Houston next year.
The training program announcement came as President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on various countries last week, which will affect much of Apple’s supply chain, particularly in China where various components are made, Bloomberg reported. The Trump administration imposed a 34% tariff on goods from China, and the country retaliated with a similar 34% duty that will begin April 10.
