The majority of UK workers (61%) believe that on-the-job-skills training or apprenticeships are more valuable for preparing people for work today than traditional university degrees, a new UK career insights and workplace trends study commissioned by Amazon has found. The study, which comes as students complete their GCSE and A-Level exams, found that less than a third (31%) of workers believe that a traditional university degree is as essential for a good career as it was 10 years ago.
The Amazon Future of Work & Career Development European study, conducted by Ipsos, also found that a majority of UK employees* (79%) think it’s important to learn a new skill to improve their career path in the next 12 months, even more so than receiving a promotion (67%).
When thinking about moving to a new job or role, 86% of adults say career development training is essential, very or fairly important and that training programmes offered by a potential employer is more or as important as company culture (84%) and flexible working (75%). One potential reason is that many workers in the study said it would make them feel supported (41%), encouraged (38%), motivated (38%) and valued (37%) to work for a company that provides access to career development training. Additionally, nearly a quarter of workers in the UK (24%) say they couldn’t afford to pay for training on their own.
I attribute a lot of my growth at Amazon to Career Choice. It gave me an opportunity to learn more about the role that I wanted and helped me with obtaining the qualifications that I needed. I'm still super surprised by my journey and growth through Amazon.
Amazon has long adapted to the ever-changing career and education landscape, investing more than £55 million in training programmes in the UK since it launched its Career Choice programme in 2014. The programme provides 95% of pre-paid tuition, up to £8,000 over four years, for nationally recognised courses from more than 20 training providers throughout the UK. It offers various training opportunities in a range of popular, in-demand job fields, from tech and sustainability to business administration and logistics, for its operations employees across the country.
To mark the 10-year anniversary of Career Choice, Amazon plans to invest a further £23 million in the UK this year. Currently, Amazon UK employees have access to more than 20 different programmes to help them maximize their potential within the company or outside of Amazon. Some of the new courses added to the UK in 2024 include information security analyst, software tester and a supply chain specialist.
“I attribute a lot of my growth at Amazon to Career Choice,” said Mo Abdullahi, Senior Operations Manager and Career Choice participant number four in the UK from 2014. “It gave me an opportunity to learn more about the role that I wanted and helped me with obtaining the qualifications that I needed. I'm still super surprised of my journey and growth through Amazon. If I look back 10 years ago and starting as a temporary worker, I certainly wouldn't have assumed that I would be at the level I am right now and with the responsibility I have now. It’s been an incredible journey.”
When it comes to jobs in the future, the study shows that training will need to play a key role in alleviating worker concerns, as 30% are worried they won’t have the training and skills to be relevant in their job in the coming years. In fact, seven in ten (74%) believe that people in the workforce today will need to continue to retrain and update their skills to continue working in the future. However, only 14% of employees say they have access to training to help them change their career path, and nearly two in 10 (18%) employees say they don’t think they have any access to training with their current employer.
Elsie Merchant, a degree-level apprentice in Automation Engineering at Amazon in Coventry, says: “I’ve loved being involved in all sorts of jobs and projects, so I can learn by doing and applying the theory. I was never keen on going to university, but I knew I wanted to join the industry, and this is a great way to do that while also receiving further education.”
“The research reflects what we’re seeing in our workplace, and that is people in the UK want access to skills training programmes,” said John Boumphrey, Amazon UK Country Manager. “Amazon is proud to have offered our upskilling Career Choice programme in the UK for the past 10 years and now to further expand on our courses options, so that thousands of employees across the UK can continue to advance their skills and take on new career opportunities at Amazon and beyond.”
Amazon is one of the top 10 private employers in the UK, with more than 75,000 employees, and more than 18,500 Amazon employees in the UK have participated in Career Choice since the programme launched.
Learn more about the Career Choice programme in the UK.
