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Amazon Technical Apprenticeship
Amazon Technical Apprenticeship is a program certified by the U.S. Department of Labor that offers paid and intensive classroom training along with 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 technical professions including cloud support associate, data technician, and software development engineer.
AWS Grow Our Own Talent offers on-the-job training and job placement opportunities to Amazon employees and entry-level candidates with non-traditional backgrounds.
The training will help employees pursue roles to innovate within Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centers and safely deliver high-quality cloud computing services to customers. Participating employees are hired into roles such as data center technicians and data center engineering operations technicians, and complete in-person, on-the-job training for up to six months.
AWS Intelligence Initiative is a program that develops operational talent to gain the technical skills and security clearance needed to work in Amazon Dedicated Cloud (ADC) regions.
The program allows participants to work on impactful technologies they are passionate about, while facilitating the expansion of ADC across the globe.
AWS Training and Certification is a dedicated business in AWS that equips organizations and learners of all skill levels, roles, and backgrounds with the knowledge and practical skills to innovate in the AWS Cloud.
AWS Training and Certification offers more than 600 free digital trainings on AWS Skill Builder, our digital learning center. Amazon employees can also take advantage of AWS Skill Builder subscription content, instructor-led AWS classroom training, AWS Certification exam preparation resources, and experiential and game-based learning, at no cost. AWS Tech U is a 48-week residency program designed to help a select group of new AWS employees develop technical expertise in the AWS Cloud to launch a successful cloud career.
Residents participate in project-based learning, creative real-world problem solving, and on-the-job training. Additionally, AWS Educate is a free online training site for beginners just getting started learning cloud computing with self-paced courses, badges, and hands-on labs.
Career Choice is Amazon’s pre-paid tuition program for operations employees looking to further their education.
The Career Choice program, established in 2012, is an education and training benefit that helps eligible hourly employees grow their skills for career success and has been particularly impactful.
To date, over 250,000 Amazon employees across 14 countries have received training for high-demand occupations including aircraft mechanics, mechatronics technicians, commercial truck drivers, medical assistants, IT support specialists, and more. The program's continued growth is remarkable, with more than 100,000 employees participating in 2024 alone.
The increased growth over the last few years was mainly due to program changes stemming from employee feedback. For example, in 2022, employees told us they were interested in foundational skills like English language learning, high school completion, and GED programs. Once we received that feedback, our teams set to work to provide access to those types of programs.
Since then, more than 8,900 employees have graduated with their GED, over 2,000 have secured their high school diplomas through Career Choice, and over 26,000 employees in the U.S. have participated in English language proficiency programs to date.
We believe that regular inspection of our offerings, coupled with employee feedback, is what has made Career Choice such an impactful and useful program. We’re building the American workforce both at Amazon and for the country as a whole.
MLU is an initiative that helps Amazon employees 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 learned 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.
The Mechatronics and Robotics Apprenticeship Program gives employees the opportunity to learn skills and technical knowledge needed to fulfill a technical maintenance role.
Apprentices receive full compensation throughout the entire program, including during classroom instruction and on-the-job training.
The program includes two significant pay increases: a nearly 23% wage increase after completing the classroom instruction phase and an additional 26% increase following the on-the-job learning phase. On average, graduates earn up to an additional $21,500 per year compared to the typical wage for an entry-level fulfillment center role—a life-changing income boost for many participants.
While these accomplishments are significant, they represent just the beginning of the company’s long-term investment in its people.
Building off the success of this program, we’re rolling out a new Automation Engineer Apprenticeship (AEA) program, officially registered with the U.S. Department of Labor. This innovative program is set to revolutionize the way we train the next generation of automation technology experts. The AEA program offers a unique blend of classroom learning and hands-on experience, designed to create highly skilled Automation Engineers ready to tackle the challenges of tomorrow.
Apprentices will benefit from in-depth Related Technical Instruction (RTI) delivered by expert trainers, 3,600 hours of on-the-job learning in state-of-the-art Amazon fulfillment centers, and competitive wages and a comprehensive benefits package.
We’re also partnering with Bakersfield College to launch the West Coast Maintenance Apprenticeship Hub, establishing the institution as Amazon's premier West Coast apprenticeship training center.
The program will provide comprehensive technical training and hands-on experience, preparing apprentices for successful careers in Amazon's advanced fulfillment and logistics network. This initiative further demonstrates Amazon's dedication to workforce development and technical education in the communities it serves.
Surge2IT is designed to help entry-level IT employees across Amazon’s operations network pursue careers in higher-paying technical roles through self-paced learning resources.
The course helps employees develop necessary skills to advance their career in the information technology field, including supporting the Amazon Robotics picking and stowing technology. Participants who move up at Amazon can make an additional $10,000 a year.
The UXDR Apprenticeship program combines instructor-led training and real-world experience in a one-year program that offers employees the opportunity to learn and develop skills in research and design on teams across Amazon, including Prime Video, Alexa, AWS, and Amazon Fashion.
Graduates are ready for jobs that help improve the experience of Amazon customers, from making payments easier on Amazon sites to designing features that make devices more accessible.
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