Amazon Announces Plans to Add to Its 70K Workforce in the UK by Creating 1.5K Apprenticeships

Amazon is planning to scale its operations in the UK by adding to its 70K workforce. The company has announced that it will be creating 1,500 apprenticeships throughout this year.

Amazon Added 25,000 People to Its Workforce in 2021, Bringing Its Total to 70K

According to the story by ComputerWeekly, Amazon previously "added 25,000 people to its firm in the UK" in 2021, bringing the company's workforce to a total of 70K. John Boumphrey, the Amazon UK country manager, gave a statement.

As per Boumphrey, the company is proud of creating a number of permanent jobs across the UK throughout 2021. To add, Boumphrey noted that the 1,500 apprenticeships that the company is adding "will help even more people get the skills that are in demand in today's labor market."

The Digital Skill Gap in the UK and Its Current Situation

Boumphrey said they want to be the employer that "helps people take their careers to the next level." The article by ComputerWeekly notes that as the digital skill gap in the UK remains quite wide, firms are complaining that they aren't able to find "skilled workers to fill tech-based roles."

Firms are claiming that people "are leaving education without the skills needed to enter the workplace," which leads to a small pool from which the firms can lure tech talent. With that, there are currently 13 different new apprenticeship schemes that Amazon is offering this year, stretching from retailing and environmental, publishing, social and corporate governance.

Amazon Aims to Offer More 'Digital-Focused' Apprenticeship Opportunities for Various Roles

The apprenticeship schemes aim to give the apprentices experience when it comes to sustainability. The additional 13 new apprenticeship schemes add to the existing selection of around 40 other apprenticeship schemes that range all the way from entry-level up to degree-level.

Amazon's website advertises a number of digital-focused apprenticeship opportunities. These include roles like software development engineer, data analyst, solutions architect, IT support, DevOps, and IT engineer.

Read Also: Amazon Finally Reveals Ad Business Publicly: Company Held Back on Disclosing How Profitable It Is

Amazon Ramped Up Its Previous Thousand Apprenticeships in 2021

Amazon created about a thousand apprenticeships in 2021 in the UK along with its 1,200 existing employees, all learning IT skills as part of the company's Amazon Career Choice training program, which enables existing workers to learn new skills.

In 2021, the company hired 25,000 people in the UK for different types of roles for both Amazon Web Services and Amazon. The roles were for software development, research and development, engineering, and project management.

Company Launched a £2.5 Million Budget for Its Amazon Apprentice Fund

Amazon reportedly claimed that half of the hired individuals for the company's fulfillment centers came from education or had previously been unemployed. In 2021, Amazon launched a £2.5 million (or about $3,382,837.50 USD) budget for its Amazon Apprentice Fund.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Urian B.

ⓒ 2024 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Tags:AmazonUK
Join the Discussion
Real Time Analytics