Bristol apprentice helps Amazon announce 1,000 new UK apprenticeships

The company is recruiting for more than 40 schemes, from data science and cyber security, to marketing and engineering.

More than half of the roles are open to external candidates, combining paid work with classroom education.

Roles include more than 500 higher-level apprenticeships for software development, automation engineering, and operations.

The Amazon apprenticeship programme, recognised as one of the UK's top apprenticeship schemes by the Government’s Department for Education, will offer a wide range of opportunities across the country in Amazon businesses including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Prime Video, and Amazon Devices and Services.

Jordi Pan from Bristol has taken part in the programme and is sharing his story to encourage others to consider an apprenticeship.

Jordi lives in Bristol and works as a team lead at the Amazon fulfilment centre in the city. Last year, Jordi completed an Operational and Departmental Management apprenticeship with Amazon, in association with the University of Exeter.

Jordi and his wife moved to the UK in 2016 to support the growth of his wife’s career. After leaving education in Barcelona, Jordi worked as a train driver. Seeing his move to the UK as a challenge to shift gears professionally, Jordi began looking for jobs that would allow him to work whilst studying.

He came across an advertisement for a temporary post at the Amazon fulfilment centre in Bristol and decided to apply. Upon joining the team, he quickly realised that Amazon was a great place to grow professionally, and was pleased by the company’s multicultural ambiance, culture of innovation, and practice of leadership in action.

He said: “Amazon’s doors are open to absolutely everyone, and that was appealing to me. I knew I wanted to eventually focus on leadership in my career and found that the 14 leadership principles at Amazon were lived out every day by those in charge on site.

“To me, leadership is showing proactivity; it’s influencing others positively and making an impact. That’s why I’ve stayed at Amazon, and that’s why I decided to do an apprenticeship in management when the opportunity arose.”

“Doing the apprenticeship allowed me to immediately apply my knowledge to real world challenges in the workplace,” Jordi continued. “This has been invaluable for building my leadership capabilities. And whilst I enjoyed studying, I was also given the opportunity to get an extremely valuable outcome with my qualification.

“I plan to join the next cohort of people completing the Chartered Management Degree apprenticeship, which begins at Amazon later this year. I’ve fully embraced the challenge of learning and growing and would encourage anyone else embarking on something similar to commit themselves fully to what they’re doing. It will be hard work, but through that you’ll build resilience.”

Jordi shared his final thoughts on his time at Amazon, saying: “Amazon is a fast paced, innovative environment that’s full of opportunities. I’m deeply committed to Amazon’s goal to be earth’s most customer obsessed company and am developing my skills as a leader to support myself and others in this mission.”

"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," added John Boumphrey, UK Country Manager at Amazon.

Opportunities

"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."

Recruitment is now underway across more than 40 programmes, including data science and cyber security, HR, marketing, engineering, health and safety, and warehouse operations. The majority of courses now also include generative AI training, and this year, Amazon is also launching new programmes including creative industries production, data centre operations, and facilities operations.

Since the launch of the Amazon Apprenticeship programme in 2013, Amazon has offered 7,000 apprenticeships in the UK. There are currently around 2,000 apprentices in the programme, making it one of the largest and broadest apprenticeship schemes in the UK. Since 2021, Amazon has committed £11 million supporting 650 small and medium-sized businesses, third sector organisations, and public sector bodies including the NHS with more than 1,000 apprenticeships. This is through the apprenticeship levy transfer scheme, across a wide range of schemes including adult care, data, dental nurses and broadcast production assistants.

Young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) can also take advantage of the Amazon Supported Internship programme. Launched in 2021, the initiative combines classroom learning with practical work experience; helping interns develop essential skills in English, Maths, and CV writing, while gaining hands-on experience across three operational job functions.

Pay at Amazon starts from £13.50 or £14.50 per hour depending on location, equating to between £28,000 and £30,000 annually. Additionally, from day one, all employees are offered a comprehensive benefits package including private medical insurance, life assurance, income protection, and an employee discount. Together, these benefits are worth more than £700 annually, and employees can take advantage of a company pension plan.

Applications are now open for Amazon’s apprenticeship programme. For more information, visit: www.amazonapprenticeships.co.uk