Nicola Drury, Head of Skills and Apprenticeships for Amazon UK, tells Martin Cooper MBCS about why the company believes apprenticeships are the key to staying ahead in the many markets where it operates and leads.
Amazon is a company that probably doesn’t need an introduction. With a name inspired by the world’s largest river, the business’ focus on being the store that sells everything and can deliver it by tomorrow has led it to become one of the world’s most valuable firms. There is, however, a lot more to the company than online shopping and the carefully orchestrated delivery of mountains of boxes. As you read on, we’ll learn about how the company’s apprenticeship schemes are helping the company stay at the forefront of innovation.
Can you tell us something we don’t know about Amazon?
The company was originally called Cadabra like the magic term abracadabra. But Jeff Bezos’ lawyer told him that the magic reference was too obscure. And when you say it out loud cadabra could be mistaken for cadaver! Crazy, right? Eventually he came up with Amazon — Amazon, the largest river in the world with lots of tributaries… Amazon has lots of products. That’s how the name came about.
When I talk to people about Amazon — students, parents, teachers — they don’t realise the amount of roles we have. People think it’s about delivery. But we look after Prime Video, Alexa, Ring Doorbells... there is an Amazon hair salon in London, and we also now have Amazon Fresh. We’re doing lots of tech roles at a very big scale.
How did your apprenticeship programme begin?
So, in 2013, we decided to set up an apprenticeship programme. We started with six engineering apprentices, but it's a long term investment since the programme lasts three to four years. Each year, we added more apprentices.
Then, in 2017, the apprenticeship levy came in, which increased the number of available apprenticeships and removed age constraints. This allowed more people to start new careers or return to work.
We now offer over 1,000 opportunities each year. We want to ensure people have access to skills, employment and the ability to maintain employment. It's about empowering individuals to reach their full potential at Amazon or beyond. We aim to remove barriers to opportunities, creating a diverse and skilled workforce for Amazon and the communities we serve. That's important to us.
What are the statistics that make you proud?
Back in 2013, we had six engineering apprentices following our Level Three framework. Five of them completed the course, joined Amazon and are still with us today. Over the last three years we have had a retention rate of over 85%, and 80% of those who graduated are still with us.
We've offered over 5,500 opportunities across 50 apprenticeship schemes in the UK and Ireland, ranging from level two to level seven. This aligns perfectly with our strategy of providing access to everyone, regardless of background. Whether you're a school leaver, career changer, or someone without GCSEs, there's a place for you. I'm super proud we have apprentices in about 50 schemes, showing the scale and diversity of roles across Amazon. Over 50% of our learners are in STEAM-related occupations, including arts and creative fields. STEAM is science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics. It's all about empowering individuals and building a skilled workforce!
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How do apprenticeships help you to stay competitive and close the skills gap?
We started with three apprentices in tech in 2018 and have since built our tech offering to attract apprentices across 12 tech schemes. Initially, Amazon wasn't known for apprenticeships, but now we offer programmes in software development, DevOps, solutions architecture and cybersecurity. The demand for cyber security is so high — we get thousands of applicants yearly.
Talk to us about diversity.
We've got 55% women in our cyber apprenticeship and over 80% of our tech apprentices in total are women. We're doing better in tech than engineering, with over 40% women in tech schemes, compared to 12% in engineering. We work with local schools and colleges, using our apprentices to inspire others. At assessment centres, we aim for a 50/50 gender split, and interestingly, once females are at the assessment centres they all tend to do really well. We just want to see more females come through the door. We encourage diversity of thoughts, and diversity of thoughts comes from a diverse range of people and backgrounds. When females have the confidence to apply and to go through the process, they smash it. It’s about getting them there — that’s the challenge.
How do apprenticeships contribute to innovation?
I’ll give you a great example… Fernanda joined us as a student in 2019, did a technical-based qualification (T-level) placement, and then gained a first in our software development apprenticeship. Now, she's part of the team behind Rufus, the chatbot on the Amazon app. Our apprentices work on amazing projects, like the Echo Show's user interface (UI) for voice shopping at Whole Foods. We trust them with significant tasks; they often use AI tools to enhance their work. These AI tools help make their projects more fun and productive, allowing them to innovate and learn continuously. It's incredible to see their growth and contributions, especially in AI.
How do apprenticeships support the idea of tech-for-good and Amazon’s community responsibilities?
We offer apprenticeships nationwide, mainly in engineering, with competitive salaries to attract talent. Apprenticeships are a significant lever for us, helping us build career paths for new and existing employees. Our apprentices often get ahead because they're in the industry, adapting to changes faster than traditional education can. We've seen a shift with many applying for apprenticeships because they can't find jobs otherwise. Impressively, 91% of our tech apprentices achieve first class degrees. There’s always time to change career, and seeing people do this to achieve a successful tech career is fantastic.
How can apprenticeships help make tech more equitable, diverse and inclusive?
We aim to remove barriers with our Level Two apprenticeship scheme, which doesn't require GCSEs and helps gain new functional skills. Our apprenticeships attract ex-veterans and career returners, leveraging their transferable skills. We support social mobility by providing work experience and qualifications needed for higher income jobs such as our career choice programme where we fund up to 95% of fees for existing employees to gain qualifications. Additionally, we have employability schemes for care-experienced individuals, those released on temporary licence (ROTL) from prison, and supported internships. We aim to build a diverse talent funnel into Amazon, offering continuous career progression through apprenticeships and other pathways .
What advice would you give to an employer considering an apprenticeship programme?
Don't restrict yourself to high volume roles or feel that you have to offer cohorts just one role on completion of their apprenticeship. In the current landscape its difficult to know what skills will be require in 12 months, never mind two to four years. Available roles will change as technology and ways of doing business evolve, so it’s important to be flexible in your offering. It's about creating opportunities and supporting the economy. Don’t be afraid to try new things and make changes based on feedback. Ensure there's an entry point for everyone, regardless of background.
