Key Highlights:
- Amazon announces 1,500 new apprenticeships across the United Kingdom.
- 40 schemes cover engineering to health & safety and around 200 apprenticeships are degree level.
- Amazon employed over 70,000 staff in the UK and said the scheme will improve employee skills.
The retail giant Amazon has recently announced that it will create 1,500 new apprenticeships across the United Kingdom by 2022.
Amongst these apprenticeships, 40 are entry to degree-level schemes, which focus on areas of publishing, marketing, retailing, and a program focused on environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG).
Growing workforce for Amazon
Earlier, Company had stated that it would create 10,000 permanent roles in 2021 and aimed for 55,000 permanent employees by the end of the year. Amazon reported that in 2021 the company acquired 25,000 permanent workforces in the UK. This takes the total to 70,000.
The tech giant also hired an additional 15,000 employees for its fulfillment centers, delivery stations, sort centers across the UK, and corporate & research & development functions.
Expansion in the UK
Since 2010, Company has invested around $43.3 billion in the UK, although there is no official breakdown of the investment.
In 2021, Company set up its first 17 physical stores across UK—2 Amazon four-star retail stores in London & Kent and 15 Amazon Fresh food stores in London. These stores sell a selection of products not only from Amazon but also small businesses in the UK.
Filling the skill gap
In 2021, Amazon had stated that it will be hiring 55,000 staff across the globe for roles in robotics, engineering & research, and corporate jobs. It outlined that around 40,000 jobs were in the U.S. and 2,500 in the United Kingdom. The remaining jobs were targeted towards Japan, Germany, and India.
The recruitment drive for the companies in the U.S. and UK has highlighted the rising issues of filling skilled roles. Company had previously offered 1,000 Euros as a signing bonus to fill some roles. These apprenticeships will help in scaling the employee skills, which will address the demand of the job market.
