New research reveals more than three in five people in the South East favour on-the-job training

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New research comes as Amazon announces £23 million of further investment in skills training for its UK employees this year.

More than three in five people in the South East (62%) believe that on-the-job skills training or apprenticeships are more valuable for preparing people for work today than traditional university degrees, according to research released by Amazon.

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The Amazon Future of Work & Career Development European study, which comes as students wait for their GCSE and A-Level results, also found more than a third (35%) of adults aged 16-75 in the South East believe that a traditional university degree is as essential for a good career as it was 10 years ago.

The study was commissioned by Amazon to mark the 10-year anniversary of the Amazon Career Choice programme. The programme provides 95% of pre-paid tuition, up to £8,000 over four years, for nationally recognised courses from more than 20 colleges and universities throughout the UK. It offers various training opportunities in a range of popular, in-demand job fields, from tech and sustainability to business administration and logistics, for its operations employees across the country.

Rayman Malkinski works at the Amazon fulfilment centre in Milton Keynes as an IT engineerRayman Malkinski works at the Amazon fulfilment centre in Milton Keynes as an IT engineer
Rayman Malkinski works at the Amazon fulfilment centre in Milton Keynes as an IT engineer

The research shows that more than three in five workers in the South East (62%) believe that on-the-job skills training or apprenticeships are more valuable for preparing people for work today than traditional university degrees. Over one third (35%) of workers in the South East aged 16-75 believe that a traditional university degree is as essential for a good career as it was 10 years ago.

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When it comes to looking for a new job or role, the majority (84%) of adults in the South East say career development training is essential, very or fairly important and that training programmes offered by a potential employer is more or as important as company culture (85%) and flexible working (70%)

One potential reason is that many South East workers in the study said it would make them feel motivated (44%) supported (41%), valued (41%) and encouraged (38%) to work for a company that provides access to career development training.

One in four workers in the South East (24%) say they couldn’t afford to pay for training on their own. When it comes to jobs in the future, the study shows that training will need to play a key role in alleviating South East worker concerns, as 30% of workers are worried they won’t have the training and skills to be relevant in their job in the coming years.

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In fact, more than seven in ten workers (72%) believe that people in the workforce today will need to continue to retrain and update their skills to continue working in the future. However, only 18% of employees in the South East say they have access to training to help them change their career path, and 18% of employees say they don’t think they have any access to training with their current employer.

Victor Pulido, General Manager at the Amazon fulfilment centre in Milton Keynes, said:

“The research reflects what we’re seeing across our sites in the South East, and that is people in the region want access to skills training programmes. Amazon is proud to have offered our upskilling Career Choice programme in the UK for the past 10 years and now to further expand on our course options, so that thousands of employees in the South East and across the UK can continue to advance their skills and take on new career opportunities at Amazon and beyond.”

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In 2014, Amazon launched its Career Choice programme in the UK providing its operations employees with funding for adult education, offering to pre-pay 95% of tuition and reimbursement for eligible fees for nationally recognised courses – up to £8,000 over four years.

Since the launch of Career Choice, Amazon has invested more than £55 million to give its UK employees access to more than 20 different programmes to help them maximise their potential within the company or further afield. To mark the 10-year anniversary of Career Choice, Amazon plans to invest a further £23 million in the UK this year and has added new courses including information security analysis, software testing, and procurement and supply chain.

Rayman Malkinski (pictured) works at the Amazon fulfilment centre in Milton Keynes as an IT engineer. Rayman has worked at Amazon since 2012 and started his Amazon Career Choice journey in 2014, becoming one of the first people in the UK to take part in the programme. Rayman has done several Career Choice courses; a year-long course in English language, a qualification in PC maintenance and the Cisco Certified Network Associate qualification, which led him to the career he has today in IT.

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Amazon is one of the top 10 private employers in the UK, with more than 75,000 employees, and more than 18,500 Amazon employees in the UK have participated in Career Choice since the programme launched. Learn more about Amazon’s upskilling and training programmes at aboutamazon.co.uk/workplace/upskilling

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