UK Apprenticeship Week: Amazon Launches 1,000 New Places
From 10-16 February 2025, the UK celebrates National Apprenticeship Week (NAW 2025) — a nationwide event highlighting the positive impact of apprenticeships on individuals, businesses and the wider economy.
Under the theme "Skills for Life," the week encourages people to explore how apprenticeships can lead to fulfilling careers while helping employers build a workforce equipped with future-ready skills.
Throughout the week, businesses and apprentices will share stories of career progression, demonstrating how apprenticeships boost confidence, knowledge and job opportunities.
As part of this celebration, Amazon has announced its latest investment in UK talent: the creation of more than 1,000 new apprenticeship roles in 2025.
Amazon’s UK apprenticeship programme, recognised as one of the country’s leading schemes by the Department for Education, is opening 1,000 new positions this year.
These apprenticeships cover various industries across Amazon’s UK operations, including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Prime Video and Amazon Devices and Services.
More than 500 of these apprenticeships are at higher levels, focusing on software development, automation engineering and operations.
With more than half of the roles open to external candidates, Amazon is providing new opportunities for people to earn while they learn — from entry-level placements to degree-level apprenticeships.
Amazon apprentices will be based at locations across the UK, including fulfilment centres, data centres, delivery stations and sortation centres.
Corporate roles are available in London and Manchester, while development centres in Cambridge, Edinburgh, London and Swansea will also host apprentices. Open to applicants aged 18 and over, the scheme welcomes both school leavers and career changers.
For those already working at Amazon, the Career Choice programme offers additional support, covering up to 95% of tuition fees — up to a total of £8,000 (US$9,971) over four years — for courses in high-demand fields.
Amazon has also been named a Top Employer 2025 by the Top Employers Institute for the second year in a row, recognising its commitment to employee development and well-being. It has also retained its place among Europe’s Top Employers for the third consecutive year.
John Boumphrey, Amazon UK Country Manager, says: “Apprenticeships have been a big focus for Amazon for over a decade and we're excited to continue creating opportunities for people to start and grow their careers through the announcement of 1,000 new UK apprenticeships in 2025.
"The Amazon Apprenticeship programme is perfect for people of all ages who are either taking their first step on the career ladder or for those who want to pursue a new path. This is one of the many ways we continue to create opportunities for people inside and outside Amazon to learn new skills and gain new qualifications.”
A family’s journey through apprenticeships
The Edwards family from Doncaster highlights how apprenticeships can benefit people at different stages of life.
Chris, a former electrical apprentice, joined Amazon in 2021, which inspired his son James to take up a mechatronics apprenticeship the following year.
Encouraged by their success, Chris’s wife Sam — who had been a stay-at-home mum for years — decided in 2023 to start a new career as a mechatronics apprentice at Amazon.
The family’s journey didn’t stop there. Their daughter Georgie joined the programme in 2024, making Amazon a shared workplace for all four family members. Today, they work in engineering roles across Amazon’s Doncaster, Leeds and Wakefield fulfilment centres.
James shares his experience: “There are so many opportunities here. If you're willing to put in the effort, Amazon has tons of different paths you can take.”
Georgie adds: “Watching mum go from being at home to studying something completely new has made us all so proud.”
Investing in future careers
Since launching its apprenticeship programme in 2013, Amazon has created 7,000 apprenticeships across the UK. Currently, around 2,000 apprentices are enrolled, making it one of the most extensive schemes in the country.
Beyond its own workforce, Amazon also supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), charities and public sector organisations through the apprenticeship levy transfer scheme.
Since 2021, the company has invested £11m (US$13m), funding more than 1,000 apprenticeships in fields such as adult care, data analysis, dental nursing and broadcast production.
For young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), Amazon offers the Supported Internship programme. Launched in 2021, this initiative combines classroom learning with hands-on work experience, helping interns develop skills in English, Maths, CV writing and operational job functions.
Amazon’s starting pay ranges from £13.50 (US$16.83) to £14.50 (US$18.08) per hour, depending on location — equivalent to an annual salary between £28,000 (US$34,919) and £30,000 (US$37,410).
Employees also receive a comprehensive benefits package, which includes private medical insurance, life assurance, income protection and an employee discount scheme. These benefits are worth more than £700 (US$872) per year, alongside access to Amazon’s pension plan.
Recruitment is already underway for more than 40 different apprenticeship programmes, covering fields such as data science, cyber security, HR, marketing, engineering, health and safety and warehouse operations. Many courses now also include generative AI training, while new programmes in creative industries production, data centre operations and facilities operations are launching in 2025.
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