Recruitment has started for 25 different apprenticeship schemes ranging from engineering to broadcast production, creative digital design to health, safety and environment technician

Roles include 100 degree-level apprenticeships and more than 500 apprenticeships for Amazon employees, providing an opportunity to retrain and gain new skills

Pay starts at a minimum of £10.80 p/h in the London area and £9.70 p/h in other parts of the UK up to £30,000 a year for degree-level apprenticeships

Amazon created 10,000 new permanent UK jobs in 2020, and now employs more than 40,000 people across the country

London – Friday 5^th February 2021 – Amazon today announced it has started recruiting for over 1,000 full-time apprenticeships in the UK in 2021, covering 25 different programmes ranging from IT, safety technician and HR through to software engineering and creative digital design.

The roles which pay minimum of £10.80 p/h in the London area and £9.70 p/h in other parts of the UK up to £30,000 a year for degree-level apprenticeships include 100 degree-level apprenticeships in automation engineering, project management, software development and chartered management.

Over 500 new apprenticeships will be offered to Amazon’s existing workforce, providing opportunities to retrain and gain new skills leading to an exciting new career path. Apprenticeships exclusively for Amazon employees range from a team leader through to a coaching practitioner.

In addition to being fully-funded, apprentices also receive a comprehensive benefits package, including private medical insurance, life assurance, income protection, subsidised meals and an employee discount – which combined are worth more than £700 annually – as well as a company pension plan. 

Apprentice programmes last between 14 months and four years and a typical apprenticeship combines theoretical learning with hands-on training, enabling participants to obtain qualifications and degrees and earn money in the process.

Once qualified, apprentices will have the potential to work across Amazon’s UK sites including fulfilment centres, delivery stations, sortation centres and the company’s UK head offices in London and Manchester and the three development centres in Edinburgh, Cambridge and London.

The 1,000 apprenticeships add to Amazon’s continued commitment to creating jobs and opportunities to learn new skills across the UK. Amazon created 10,000 new permanent jobs in the UK in 2020 alone, and employs more than 40,000 people in some of the most advanced workplaces of their kind in the world with competitive pay, processes and systems to ensure the wellbeing and safety of all employees.

Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills Gillian Keegan, said: “It’s fantastic to see Amazon continuing to invest in apprentices. These apprenticeships cover a range of exciting roles from broadcast production to engineering, showcasing the huge variety of opportunities available to young people looking to build a great career. I know first-hand the life changing opportunities an apprenticeship can bring. I wish all those who apply the best of luck and thank Amazon for their ongoing commitment to building skills and talent both for today and in the future.”

 “We are proud to be creating new opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds across the UK to gain skills through our apprenticeship programmes in 25 different fields, from logistics to robotics,” said, John Boumphrey, UK Country Manager, Amazon. “An Amazon apprenticeship offers an exciting career path, creating opportunities within our local communities across the UK and helping our own employees retrain and gain new skills at a time when investing in people and jobs has never been more important.”

The 1,000 new apprentices will join current apprentices already working at Amazon. The current Amazon apprenticeship schemes have attracted recruits from a range of different backgrounds from a former barista, footballer and photographer, to former military veterans and nurses. Throughout the last year, people have also joined Amazon from construction, customer services, health care, hospitality and sales industries.

Amazon also offers employees Career Choice, an innovative programme which pre-pays 95% of tuition for courses in high-demand fields, up to £8,000 over four years, regardless of whether the skills are relevant to a career at Amazon.

Amazon provides opportunities to improve existing skills or learn new ones through internal career progression opportunities such as cross-training, transferring to a different department and promotion into a managerial role.

Amazon has invested over £23 billion in the UK since 2010 to provide convenience, selection and value to UK consumers, while supporting tens of thousands of businesses and creative professionals including small businesses selling on Amazon’s online stores, Amazon Web Services developers and Kindle Direct Publishing authors.

Applications are now open for Amazon’s apprenticeship programme. For more information, visit: www.amazonapprenticeships.co.uk

- ENDS -

Amazon Apprentice Stories

David Ram (52) is studying a Chartered Management Degree apprenticeship based at Rugby fulfilment centre

David was made redundant after working in the banking industry for 15 years. He always wanted to gain a degree qualification, but life followed a different route for him. The opportunity to try something new at Amazon came up after he left banking and in just a year David has been promoted to an area manager. He no longer has a long commute to work and is able to study alongside his job without the need to work extra hours or days.

David said: “Take my experience as an example - you’re never too old to start something new and start at the bottom. It’s fantastic I’m getting to do a degree at this stage of my life, all while doing a job that I love.”

Steven Giddings (39), recently completed the Team Leaders apprenticeship based at Gourock fulfilment centre.

Steven managed a family-owned leisure business for 16 years before joining Amazon in 2016. He joined as a temporary associate and never expected to be offered a permanent role but grabbed the opportunity when it became available two months after joining. He was recently offered a permanent role as Outbound Shipping Team Lead.

Steven said: “The opportunities the apprenticeship has opened up for me within Amazon are incredible, and I am thankful for the knowledge it offers which will allow me to progress in my career within the company. I only wish that I had joined Amazon sooner!”

Hal Stanfield (25), IT apprentice based in the Networking and Project Management team at the Amazon Development Centre in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Born and raised in Edinburgh, Hal left school and joined Amazon’s customer service scheme. Through the Amazon Career Choice Programme, Hal was able to develop his burgeoning interest in IT and embarked on a part-time college course in computing with on-the-job training through the IT apprenticeship.

Hal said: “I wouldn’t have been able to do it otherwise, and Amazon made it really convenient to re-train myself. It’s been great for my confidence, I’m now so much more skilled and engaged in my role. This apprenticeship has been one of the best work decisions I’ve ever made. In my role I get to talk to people in all areas of the business, and that’s something I really enjoy. There’s also a strong community in the apprenticeship programme that has developed through group activities and chats, despite the pandemic.”

Jess Grech (23), Buying and Merchandising apprentice based in the Product Development team in Fashion Buying (Softlines) at Amazon’s London Headquarters.

Jess grew up in London and from a young age has had a keen interest in fashion.

“My passion started when I was at school. I love how style can help people to express themselves and stand out. I took part in a fashion internship which helped me learn about the different aspects of the industry, from design to sustainability. At Amazon in my second year of the apprenticeship role I am learning how to use new tools and programmes which are vital to the industry. Working at Amazon I am given scope to grow. I am given the freedom to launch my own projects and collaborate with people from different areas of the business. Now I have a career mentor, a tutor and a line manager who I have regular catch-ups with to discuss any issues and opportunities to learn. This has been particularly useful during the pandemic where we have been working remotely, and despite working from home I have felt supported.”

Camila Rey De Rosa (37), Advanced Mechatronics apprentice based at Hemel Hempstead fulfilment centre.

Camila previously worked as an occupational health nurse but decided to try something completely different. She joined the Amazon apprenticeship programme because she was impressed by how inclusive the company is. She was offered a place at university prior to receiving the offer to become an Amazon apprentice but thought that the more hands-on approach of the Amazon apprenticeship programme would serve her better for the future. She is also vice chair on the apprentice board at the Women’s Engineering Society.

Camila said: “The apprenticeship at Amazon has been a brilliant experience and has offered me many opportunities that I couldn’t get elsewhere. The skills and knowledge I have gained through the course have completely changed my mindset and challenged me to focus on finding the solution for every problem. I have loved having the opportunity to work alongside so many amazing Amazon engineers and would encourage everyone to sign up and give the apprenticeship a shot, you’ll never know what it’s like if you don’t try.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Amazon

Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfilment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.co.uk/about and follow @AmazonNewsUK, or visit our Day One Blog.

For further information please contact:

Amazon UK Press Office
Email: pressoffice@amazon.co.uk