In Response to Pressure from the U.S. President, Apple Opens a Training Academy
Apple is trying to ease the pressure put on it by U.S. President Donald Trump to bring more jobs to American workers. The company has therefore established an academy to train Americans in phone manufacturing and the use of artificial intelligence, according to a CNBC report.
The new academy is managed by Michigan State University due to its location in Detroit, and it offers a range of workshops on AI technologies, phone manufacturing, and hardware, according to the report.
The academy is expected to begin operations in August, providing various workshops in its fields to small and medium-sized businesses, with some sessions delivered by Apple engineers.
This step is part of Apples plan to invest $500 billion within the United States over the next five years, as announced by CEO Tim Cook last February.
The company’s plan includes building AI servers in Houston and purchasing chips from TSMC’s new U.S. factories. However, this does not seem to satisfy the president, according to the report.
Despite Trump praising this plan in February when it was first announced, he continued to pressure Apple to manufacture iPhones domestically to the extent that he described it as a “small problem” with Cook, according to the report.
Trump stated in a live interview with CNBC that Cook is spending $500 billion in the U.S. and expanding phone manufacturing in India to avoid restrictions and taxes related to China.
It is worth noting that this academy is Apples only one of its kind worldwide, while the company owns 18 other academies distributed across several countries, including Saudi Arabia and South Korea, but these are focused on programming and development, according to the report.
Apple added that it offers consulting services through the programs provided by the academy to small and medium businesses, with expectations to serve 200 students annually and to offer remote programs in the near future, as stated in the report.
