Amazon will fund 300 new roles in the next 12 months, supporting 250 small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) and partners as part of £8 million investment since launching its Apprenticeship Fund in 2021.
Amazon will support the creation of more than 750 apprenticeships outside of Amazon in 250 small and medium-sized organisations across England by next year.
The 300 new roles over the next twelve months will be funded by Amazon in small businesses and organisations selling on Amazon, Amazon Web Services customers, creative industry partners and local authorities through the company’s apprenticeship levy.
The fund will cover a wide range of schemes, from Digital Marketing to Visual Effects Artists, Cyber Security specialists and more. The schemes last between 12-48 months and include apprenticeship standards up to £27,000. Apprentices will also receive a mix of on-the-job and classroom training.
People across the country have been given a head-start in their career, or transferred into a new career with the right support and opportunities. As we expand, we hope other larger employers will also choose to transfer some of their unspent levy to create more valuable apprenticeship roles for people across England to gain new skills.
– John Boumphrey, UK Country Manager, Amazon
Businesses Amazon Apprenticeship Fund will invest in
- AWS customers and small businesses who sell on Amazon with IT technical apprenticeship roles, such as DevOps and IT Solutions, as well as marketing and retail apprenticeship schemes to help boost productivity, exports, and cloud computing skills.
- Creative industry partners to find and train the next generation of creative professionals. Amazon Music is currently working with AIM and Women in CTRL; Prime Video works with multiple independent production companies in the UK across Original series including All or Nothing: Arsenal, The Rig and Devil’s Hour – and will continue its work with UK Screen Alliance, Screen Skills and the Department for Education to fund apprentice roles in production, technical operations and other areas.
- Local authorities and regional government partners like the West Midlands Combined Authority, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, and London Progression Collaboration are using the funds to address local skills gaps in areas like advanced manufacturing, social care and construction.
