A health and safety technician and a regional safety manager from Manchester are sharing their career stories during Learning at Work Week 2024 (13th-19th May) to celebrate the career progress they’ve made thanks to the lifelong learning programmes at Amazon.

Learning at Work Week is an annual programme run by the charity Campaign for Learning. The charity works with organisations around the UK to create activities and fun challenges in the workplace to help employees learn and grow.

This year’s theme, Learning power, explores how lifelong and continual learning gives people power to change, grow and achieve individual, team and organisational goals.

Agnel Joseph and Adam Wilson, who work at the Amazon delivery station in Manchester, have used Amazon’s development and training opportunities to shape their professional careers.

One of the programmes Angel and Adam have taken part in at Amazon is Amazon Career Choice. The programme, which has been running at Amazon for the past decade, pre-pays up to 95% of tuition and fees for courses in high-demand fields, up to £8,000 over four years, regardless of whether the skills are relevant to a career at Amazon.

Courses available include accountancy, HGV driving and software development, and are designed to help employees build careers at Amazon or elsewhere. It means that eligible employees are given the opportunity to gain the skills and qualifications needed to follow their career aspirations.

The teammates have shared their stories to encourage others to take their career to the next level using the Amazon Career Choice programme.

Agnel lives in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire and works at the Amazon delivery station in Manchester as a health and safety technician. He joined Amazon in 2022 and has used several of Amazon’s training programmes to advance his career to the position he holds today.

Two years ago, Agnel moved to the UK from Saudi Arabia where he worked as a health and safety specialist in the oil industry. Leaving behind a 17-year career, Agnel joined Amazon knowing that there would opportunities for professional advancement.

He initially joined the team at one of Amazon’s fulfilment centres in Doncaster, before transferring to the delivery station in Manchester.

Speaking about his time at Amazon, Agnel said: “Logistics at Amazon is very different to logistics in the oil industry, so I’ve learned a lot since I joined the company. It’s been great to follow the movement of a parcel from a fulfilment centre to a delivery station as I’ve progressed, as it’s helped me to understand the scope of Amazon’s facilities. There are a lot of procedures to follow and tools to know about, and switching roles and buildings has helped me learn about them all. I’ve been very impressed!”

Not only has Agnel been able to avail of tailored development plans created for him by his managers, he’s also earned a qualification as an environmental field technician through Amazon Career Choice.

“What I learned about planning and how to work with agencies and councils on resource management and environmental regulation during my Career Choice programme was completely new to me,” Agnel said. “I’m always looking for the next step in my career, and to progress in health and safety I know I need to widen my knowledge. Career Choice was a great step for me.

“Now I have the environmental field technician qualification I’d like to peruse the globally recognised National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH) diploma certificate. Knowing that Amazon will help me to achieve that is excellent. The company has already helped me with everything from interview preparation to learning leadership principles and so much more. I’m very pleased.”

What advice would Agnel give to someone hoping to advance their career?

“I’m always motivating people to look for opportunities for themselves. I apply for roles internally all the time, as even if I’m unsuccessful, I gain experience. You don’t need to ask permission to use learning opportunities to help you progress in your field, particularly at Amazon. People don’t normally say no to new ideas to improve processes and innovation, so you might as well be the person to suggest them.”

Adam also used Amazon Career Choice to help grow his career in safety.

Adam is from Macclesfield and joined Amazon in 2017. He is a regional safety manager, supporting Amazon teams across the south of England.

Before joining Amazon, Adam and his wife spent four years in Thailand working as teachers. When he returned to the UK, he worked as an operations manager in the education sector, helping to match young people with the right employer to support their development. After six years the landscape of the industry had changed, and Adam decided he wanted to go in a different direction.

Adam wanted to pursue a career in health and safety, so he started working on his NEBOSH Level 3 certificate while volunteering as director of a community centre. He was soon successful in applying for a co-ordinator role at Amazon.

Adam reveals why he originally joined Amazon.

“I chose Amazon because everyone knows Amazon. I thought it was a great starting point for my new career in safety, I thought I would learn a lot, and I thought it would be a great springboard to my development – which it was!” he said. “One of my favourite things about my job is managing a team. I want people to feel empowered to own things and be recognised for doing so. I love that we have a great team culture going, and everyone feels confident to ask questions and reach out for support when needed.”

Adam has also completed the diploma in Environmental Health and Safety through Amazon Career Choice. He said:

“This was a big thing for me. Not only did Amazon pay for the majority of my course fees, but they encouraged me to do the course. They knew I could have moved on, but they invested in me and my development and I’m still here!”

“I think it’s great Amazon funds people to develop their own careers at the company or with other employers,” Adam continued. “It’s great we’re encouraged to prioritise our professional development inside Amazon but also outside. There are subjects available that are completely unrelated to what Amazon does, in completely new fields. For me, I wanted to progress my career within the company.

“I’ve not really studied since I was at university. This was a long time ago, so it was challenging to get back into that mindset of study, but I knew the importance of doing it and this qualification has set me up for life, all because of Amazon Career Choice.”

Adam has some advice for anyone considering furthering their careers through learning and development programmes.

“Find something you’re passionate about and go for it. If you’re working in something you enjoy, it stops feeling like a job and more like a pastime!”

Amazon also provides opportunities to improve existing skills or learn new ones through internal career progression opportunities such as apprenticeships, transferring to a different department and promotion to a managerial role.

Amazon Manchester Senior Delivery Station Manager, Cindy Minnaar, added: “We are proud of Agnel and Adam’s success through the Amazon Career Choice programme. Career development is at the core of our culture at Amazon, where lifelong learning is promoted at every turn. Many of our team members have taken part in Career Choice and are now fulfilling their potential on Amazon teams all over the UK, Ireland and further afield. Others have gone on to successful careers elsewhere, and we are proud to have supported them in their professional development by giving them extra tools for success in their new roles. We look forward to offering employees even more choices in the future as Amazon Career Choice evolves and grows.”

Amazon employees receive competitive pay and comprehensive benefits. Pay starts at a minimum of £12.30 per hour in Manchester and employees are offered a comprehensive benefits package, including private medical insurance, life assurance, income protection and an employee discount as well as a company pension plan.

Amazon has been named as a ‘Top Employer UK 2024’ by the Top Employer Institute, one of the world’s most prestigious certifications in the field of human resources management. This award recognises Amazon’s commitment to the development and well-being of its employees. In addition to the UK accolade, Amazon has also been certified as one of the Top Employers in Europe for a second consecutive year.

In 2023, Amazon ranked in second place on LinkedIn’s Top Companies list — an annual list that identifies the most sought-after places to work and grow your career in the UK. Using data from LinkedIn’s 900 million members, LinkedIn’s Top Companies list is designed to help professionals identify the best companies to grow their careers.