An apprentice from Manchester has helped Amazon celebrate the 10th anniversary of its apprenticeship programme

• To celebrate the 10th anniversary, Amazon partnered with careers development platform Apprentice Nation to host an exclusive one-off gig featuring singer-songwriter Cat Burns

• Since the launch of the programme in 2013, there have been 5,000 Amazon apprenticeships offered. The vast majority (85%) of employees who completed their apprenticeships have gone on to build successful careers at Amazon and currently 79% remain working with the company today.

• In a recent YouGov survey, commissioned by Amazon, 93% of parents in the North West said they believed an apprenticeship would provide their child with a good chance of getting a permanent job, with 74% of them also agreeing that an apprenticeship provided good earnings potential.

An apprentice from Manchester has helped Amazon celebrate the 10th anniversary of its apprenticeship programme and is sharing his story in the hope of inspiring people in Manchester to follow in his footsteps.

Wes Cunningham-Burns is one of the 5,000 apprentices that have taken part in the Amazon Apprenticeship programme since it launched in 2013.

Wes works at the Amazon fulfilment centre in Manchester as an IT engineer. Wes joined Amazon in 2017 and completed an IT apprenticeship through the Amazon Apprenticeship Programme in 2020.

After leaving school, Wes went to university and did a degree in journalism. Following a period of working in journalism, he decided to develop a trade skill and spent more than five years working in professional kitchens. After a brief stint as a freelance writer, Wes decided he’d like a career change and set his sights on getting a job in IT.

“When I was thinking of changing careers, I saw a job ad online for the Amazon Apprenticeship Programme. The opportunity was perfect for where I was at that time – the chance to move to a new industry, without the need for experience. You simply had to want it, so I applied.”

“I was attracted to Amazon because of the company’s status as an industry leader in technology and I wanted to learn from the great people at the company,” Wes said.

“I wanted to work in an industry that was always changing and evolving and that’s what led me to Amazon, and it’s also what led me to apply for a place on the IT apprenticeship programme.”

Wes explains that the learning opportunities are his favourite memories from his apprenticeship. “When you’re an apprentice, people take a lot of time to help you learn and develop. They really break things down into small, manageable pieces of information and that was brilliant for me,” Wes shared. “My apprenticeship gave me an opportunity to learn from leaders in their field at a pace that suited someone who was changing careers.”

Wes also enjoyed learning from the experiences of his mentors during his apprenticeship. “Hearing the career stories of the people I worked with helped me shape my own pathway. It was fantastic to learn from such experienced people and their own experiences made my apprenticeship rewarding and enjoyable.”

For anyone who thinks an apprenticeship might be the way forward for them, Wes has some advice. “Apprenticeships are a great fit for people who are self-starters. The information is there, and lots of people will help you, but you’ve got to proactively seek it out,” he said. “If you’re keen to learn, you’re interested in the field you’re going into and you’d like an opportunity to earn while you gain new skills, then an apprenticeship will be perfect for you. Someone will lead you to the water, so make sure you’re a horse that wants to drink!”

To mark the tenth year of the Amazon Apprenticeship programme, Brit-nominated, South London artist Cat Burns was the headline act at a mentoring event for 200 aspiring apprentices in one of Amazon’s largest fulfilment centres in the UK, marking the tenth anniversary of the company’s apprenticeship programme.

The audience included Amazon employees and apprentices, alongside 200 members of Apprentice Nation, the career development platform, that uses the power of music to inspire 16-25-year olds to shape their future.

In addition to the concert, attendees were given a tour of the centre, which is equipped with advanced Amazon robotics technology, to experience a behind the scenes look at what happens when they click ‘buy’ on the Amazon website and see the technology used to help deliver for millions of customers around the world every day. The Apprentice Nation members also took part in career development activities and a mass mentoring session with Amazon apprentices, employees and industry leaders from Lucozade and Havas, sharing their career stories and advice.

When the Amazon apprenticeship programme launched in 2013, it had one scheme – engineering – and only six apprentices. Five are still employees of the business today and are flourishing as engineers in fulfilment centres in Dunfermline, Rugeley and Swansea. This year, Amazon has offered hundreds of full-time apprenticeship roles across the UK starting at entry-level and including around 250 degree-level apprenticeships in over 30 different schemes ranging from engineering to broadcast production, warehouse team leaders to buying and merchandising.

In total, since the launch of the Amazon apprenticeship programme in 2013, there have been 5,000 Amazon apprenticeships offered in the UK. The vast majority (85%) of employees who completed their apprenticeships have gone on to build successful careers at Amazon and currently 79% remain working with the company today. There are also over 1,600 apprentices currently taking part in the apprenticeship programme, making it one of the largest and broadest apprenticeship schemes in the UK.

Amazon also launched new apprenticeship programmes for 2023 including cyber security and information communications technicians. The new apprenticeships highlight Amazon’s ongoing commitment to creating jobs and providing opportunities for training and up-skilling across the UK.

Speaking at the event, double-platinum-selling Cat Burns said: “It’s been amazing to support young people with Apprentice Nation and celebrate ten years of Amazon apprenticeships in this incredible robotics fulfilment centre with such an inspiring group of people. So much of my own journey has been about ‘learning on the job’ and I know how valuable it is to have relatable mentors to offer support along the way. This event has shown just how powerful the combination of music and mentorship can be.”

Amazon’s UK Country Manager, John Boumphrey, speaking at the event said: “We are exceptionally proud to be celebrating 10 years of our apprenticeship programme, providing opportunities for upskilling and retraining for people of all ages, at all stages of their careers. Apprenticeships are key to equipping people with the skills they need to progress in today’s labour market, and we now offer one of the broadest and largest apprenticeship programmes in the UK. From young people entering the workplace for the first time, to older people looking to take their skills and careers in a new direction, our apprenticeship schemes illustrate that, at Amazon, there are opportunities for everyone.”

Stephen Greene CBE, CEO RockCorps & Producer of Apprentice Nation, said: “This is a time where we are all questioning university as being the dominant career route. There are many other ways to a career. That is what Apprentice Nation does – offers options – in this case through our exciting and unique partnership with Amazon. We are stoked to have Cat Burns perform in Dartford and share her inspiring story with others. What an artist!”

Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education Robert Halfon said:

“I applaud Amazon for its decade-long commitment to apprenticeships. Giving 5,000 people the opportunity to earn while they learn and develop the skills needed to succeed is key to building a skills and apprenticeships nation, and I hope that more employers follow in their footsteps.

“Over 90% of apprentices go into work or further training, and this is certainly true at Amazon. In fact, 85% of employees who completed their apprenticeships have gone on to build successful careers at the company, showing that an apprenticeship isn’t just a rung on the ladder of opportunity, it can take you all the way to the top.”

Apprentice Nation member, Jecoliah Frimpong, from Greenwich, said: “This has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity – Cat Burns was incredible and the mentors were really inspiring. I had no idea there were so many opportunities and different apprenticeships available at Amazon and it will definitely make me think of doing an apprenticeship instead of going to university!”

After talking about her own career journey with host and Capital Radio DJ, Remel London, Cat Burns and her band performed a live set for the audience which included her hits Go and People Pleaser, all taking place in the state-of-the-art fulfilment centre. Cat has previously partnered with Amazon Music to release several exclusive performances including a live performance of Go ft Sam Smith, and more recently Live More & Love More from the Amazon CURVED studio in London.

Explore more about Apprentice Nation at www.apprenticenation.co.uk