Amazon will invest over $700 million to provide
upskilling training programs for one in three of its employees
across the U.S.
Programs will help Amazonians from all
backgrounds access training to move into highly skilled technical
and non-technical roles across the company’s corporate offices,
tech hubs, fulfillment centers, retail stores, and transportation
network, or pursue career paths outside of Amazon
Based on a review of its workforce and analysis
of U.S. hiring, Amazon’s fastest growing highly skilled jobs over
the last five years include data mapping specialist, data
scientist, solutions architect and business analyst, as well as
logistics coordinator, process improvement manager and
transportation specialist within our customer fulfillment
network
Employee upskilling investment builds on
Amazon’s $15 minimum wage and comprehensive benefits including
medical insurance, 401k savings plan, and generous parental
leave
Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) today pledged to upskill 100,000 of its
employees across the United States, dedicating over $700 million to
provide people across its corporate offices, tech hubs, fulfillment
centers, retail stores, and transportation network with access to
training programs that will help them move into more highly skilled
roles within or outside of Amazon.
Amazon’s Upskilling 2025 pledge invests in a range of new
upskilling programs to serve employees from all backgrounds and
Amazon locations. Programs include Amazon Technical Academy,
which equips non-technical Amazon employees with the essential
skills to transition into, and thrive in, software engineering
careers; Associate2Tech, which trains fulfillment center
associates to move into technical roles regardless of their
previous IT experience; Machine Learning University,
offering employees with technical backgrounds the opportunity to
access machine learning skills via an on-site training program;
Amazon Career Choice, a pre-paid tuition program
designed to train fulfillment center associates in high-demand
occupations of their choice; Amazon Apprenticeship, a
Department of Labor certified program that offers paid intensive
classroom training and on-the-job apprenticeships with Amazon; and
AWS Training and Certification, which provide employees with
courses to build practical AWS Cloud knowledge that is essential to
operating in a technical field.
“Through our continued investment in local communities in more
than 40 states across the country, we have created tens of
thousands of jobs in the U.S. in the past year alone,” said Beth
Galetti, Senior Vice President, HR. “For us, creating these
opportunities is just the beginning. While many of our employees
want to build their careers here, for others it might be a stepping
stone to different aspirations. We think it’s important to invest
in our employees, and to help them gain new skills and create more
professional options for themselves. With this pledge, we’re
committing to support 100,000 Amazonians in getting the skills to
make the next step in their careers.”
The upskilling programs are built by Amazonians, around insights
provided by Amazon’s fast-growing workforce – which will reach
300,000 employees in the U.S. this year – and experts in the
changing jobs landscape. Based on a review of the company’s jobs
and analysis of hiring data from its U.S. workforce, Amazon’s
fastest growing highly skilled jobs over the last five years are
data mapping specialist (832% growth), data scientist (505%),
solutions architect (454%), security engineer (229%) and business
analyst (160%). Within customer fulfillment, highly skilled roles
have increased over 400%, including jobs like logistics
coordinator, process improvement manager and transportation
specialist within our customer fulfillment network.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there
are now more job openings (7.4 million) than there are unemployed
Americans (6 million). In looking at job growth over the next
decade, the BLS anticipates some of the fastest growing job areas
are increasingly in more skilled areas, including medical
assistants, statisticians, software developers, nurse
practitioners, and wind turbine service technicians. This provides
a huge opportunity for individuals who build additional skills to
move into better paying jobs. Through its Upskilling 2025 pledge,
Amazon is focused on creating pathways to careers in areas that
will continue growing in years to come, including healthcare,
machine learning, manufacturing, robotics, computer science, cloud
computing, and more.
“The future of work is now and the challenge is not just
adapting to new technologies, but adapting to the dynamism of the
economy, which will only accelerate,” said Jason Tyszko, Vice
President at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. “Amazon is
demonstrating the new role employers must play to counter that
challenge, fostering a new relationship with workers where
maintaining and growing their skills is an imperative for business
success.”
As part of Upskilling 2025, Amazon is announcing new training
opportunities and building on existing programs for employees
across the U.S., including:
- Launching Amazon Technical Academy, a training and job
placement program that equips non-technical Amazon employees with
the essential skills to transition into, and thrive in, software
engineering careers. Combining instructor-led, project-based
learning with real-world application, graduates of the program
master the most widely used software engineering practices and
tools required to thrive into a career at Amazon. This tuition-free
program was created by Amazon software engineers for Amazon
employees who want to move into the field. Find out more here.
- Launching Associate2Tech, a program that provides
fulfillment center associates the opportunity to move into
technical roles, regardless of their previous IT experience, within
Amazon’s vast operations network. This fully-paid 90 day
program is designed to place associates in on-the-job training for
IT support technician roles and pays for their A+ Certification
test, a widely recognized certification. No existing degree is
needed, and participants have paid study time during their work
week. Learn more here.
- Launching Machine Learning University (MLU), an initiative
that helps Amazonians with a background in technology and coding
gain skills in Machine Learning. As machine learning plays an
increasingly important role in customer innovation, MLU helps
employees learn core skills to propel their career growth – skills
that are often taught only in higher education. Divided into
six-week modules, the program requires only half to one full day of
participation a week. MLU is taught by more than 400 Amazon Machine
Learning scientists who are passionate about furthering skills in
the field. Originally launched as a small cohort, the program is on
course to train thousands of employees.
- Growing Career Choice, Amazon’s pre-paid tuition program for
fulfillment center associates looking to move into high-demand
occupations. Amazon will pay up to 95% of tuition and fees
towards a certificate or diploma in qualified fields of study,
leading to in-demand jobs. Since launching Career Choice in 2012,
over 25,000 Amazonians have received training for high-demand
occupations including aircraft mechanics, computer-aided design,
machine tool technologies, medical lab technologies, and nursing.
The company is investing in expanding the program by building
additional classrooms in its fulfillment centers globally, and
expects to have over 60 on-site classrooms by the end of 2020.
- Expanding Amazon Apprenticeship, a Department of Labor
certified program that offers paid intensive classroom training and
on-the-job apprenticeships with Amazon. Providing a combination
of immersive learning and on-the-job training, the Amazon
Apprenticeship program has already created paths to technical jobs
for hundreds of candidates working to break into careers including
cloud support associate, data technician and software development
engineer.
- Expanding AWS Training and Certification to close the cloud
skills gap in the industry. Amazon employees have access to
free classroom and digital training to build cloud knowledge, and
discounted AWS Certification exams to validate cloud expertise.
Cultivating these in-demand skills opens opportunities both within
Amazon and in organizations around the world as demand for cloud
talent continues to grow.
This pledge furthers Amazon’s commitment to supporting its
employees. Last year, Amazon raised its minimum wage to $15 for all
U.S. employees, adding to the suite of industry-leading benefits
offered by the company, including comprehensive healthcare
(medical, dental and vision coverage), up to 20 weeks of paid
parental leave, 401(k) matching, and more. To learn more about
Amazon’s upskilling efforts visit
www.aboutamazon.com/upskilling.
With more than 630,000 employees worldwide, Amazon has been
recognized on LinkedIn’s Top Companies list for the past four
years, ranked #2 in the Fortune 2017 and 2018 World’s Most Admired
Companies, and ranked #5 in Fast Company's 2018 World’s Most
Innovative Companies. The company also receives a perfect score
from the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index.
About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather
than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to
operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews,
1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment
by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets,
Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and
services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit
amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.
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