Milton Keynes apprentice helps Amazon celebrate 1,000 new apprenticeship opportunities for 2024

An apprentice at Amazon’s corporate office in London is encouraging others to start an apprenticeship and boost their careers as Amazon announces the expansion of its apprenticeship programme with the addition of 1,000 new positions across the UK in 2024.

Amazon offers one of the UK’s top private sector apprenticeship schemes according to the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers[1], including entry-level placements and more than 230 degree-level apprenticeships in programmes including accounting and data analysts.

Recruitment has now started for more than 30 different schemes, from sustainability to engineering, project management to product buying, and warehouse team leaders to health and safety technicians.

This year, Amazon is also launching new programmes including the digital product manager apprenticeship and the commercial procurement and supply apprenticeship. The range of different apprenticeship schemes reflect both Amazon’s diverse workforce and the communities it serves every day across the UK.

As well as offering hundreds of new roles to external candidates, more than half of the new apprenticeships will be offered to existing employees who will have the opportunity to retrain and gain new skills for an exciting new career path. In 2023, two thirds (67%) of new apprentices at Amazon were aged 25 and over, an increase of 10% year on year, which demonstrates the support apprenticeships provide in helping people pursue new careers.

Ram Verma from Milton Keynes is a marketing executive apprentice at Amazon in London. He started his apprenticeship in July 2023.

After finishing his A-Levels, Ram was confronted with the decision of whether to attend university or start an apprenticeship. He explained he was always set on doing an apprenticeship:

“I’m more of a hands-on person, and I could never have imagined sitting in lectures every day for three years. I was always keen to get a further education but wanted to do it alongside working. I applied to university just in case, but when I got the offer to join Amazon it was a no-brainer, really.”

Ram continued, “I didn’t want to pass up on the opportunity to work at such a big company with a worldwide reputation, and I also knew someone doing an apprenticeship here. I reached out to him when I got the offer, and he really encouraged me to take it. He spoke about the community that the apprentices have built, and how supportive everyone is towards the apprentices - both of which I have seen first-hand whilst being here.”

Ram’s favourite thing about his apprenticeship is applying what he’s learned in theory to the job. He highlighted the opportunity to experience the corporate world and meet new people, and shared the most important thing he’s learned so far:

“If I were to sum up the most important thing I’ve learned in a word, it would be balance. You have your apprenticeship work; coursework and theory etc, as well as your job role, and then you also have your social life outside of it all. Being able to balance all three is very important.”

Before starting his apprenticeship, Ram hadn’t fully considered a career in marketing. His family has worked in finance and economics, so he just assumed he would follow suit. However, he didn’t want to forfeit his creative side:

“I love music, travel, cooking, and theatre, but I’m also great with numbers and data. I questioned how I could balance both interests and skill sets, and found marketing fit both very well. It’s been a great way to bring them both together, and I think it leaves me open to plenty of opportunities in the future.”

Ram offers some advice for anyone considering an apprenticeship with Amazon:

“It’s a big decision to make and it really depends on the person. I personally think apprenticeships are the way forward, and I do think they afford you a great level of experience that you’ll carry into any range of job roles, but I would encourage you to look at all your options and choose what’s best for you.”

Ram is due to finish his apprenticeship in the summer of 2025 and hopes to someday start his own business.

Nicola Drury, Head of Skills and Apprenticeships at Amazon, said: “Every year we look forward to recruiting ambitious and enthusiastic apprentices to join our teams working to deliver for customers all over the UK. Whether they’re retraining to begin a new and exciting career, or gaining new skills to take their career in a new direction, we’re proud to provide opportunities for people to find their dream roles.”

The 1,000 new apprenticeships highlight Amazon’s ongoing commitment to creating jobs and training opportunities for people across the UK. Once qualified, apprentices will have the opportunity to work across Amazon’s UK sites including fulfilment centres, delivery stations, sortation centres as well as corporate offices in London and Manchester, and four development centres in Cambridge, Edinburgh, London, and Swansea.

Amazon apprentices work across a wide variety of different schemes in hundreds of teams, from software developers in Prime Video, buyers in fashion, and production in Amazon Studios. This year apprentices could be a solutions architect in Amazon Web Services, a marketer in Amazon Music, or work with cutting-edge technology in operations as an engineer.

Since 2021, Amazon has pledged £8m supporting over 400 SMEs with apprenticeships via the apprenticeship levy transfer service. To date, Amazon has supported over 750 apprentices across a wide range of schemes including adult care, data, dental nurses and broadcast production assistants.

In addition to the apprenticeship schemes, Amazon employees can also take advantage of Amazon’s pioneering Career Choice programme, which pre-pays up to 95% of tuition and fees 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.

Competitive pay, comprehensive benefits and a modern, safe and engaging work environment is provided for its employees. The roles pay a minimum of £11.80 or £12.50 per hour, rising from April to between £12.30 and £13 per hour, depending on location, and up to £33,500 a year for degree-level apprenticeships. All employees also receive a benefits package that includes private medical insurance, life assurance, income protection, and an employee discount – which combined are worth thousands annually – as well as a company pension plan.

Amazon has been named as a ‘Top Employer UK 2024’ by the Top Employer Institute, one of the world’s most prestigious certifications in the field of human resources management. This award recognises Amazon’s commitment to the development and well-being of its employees. In addition to the UK accolade, Amazon has also been certified as one of the Top Employers in Europe for the second consecutive year. https://www.aboutamazon.co.uk/news/top-employer-2024

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

[1] https://topapprenticeshipemployers.co.uk/files/Top100AE23.pdf