Amazon announces 2.5 million pound apprenticeship fund in England

Amazon has announced a new fund to help small businesses across England take on apprentices through the levy transfer scheme.

The 2.5 million pound apprenticeship fund will help create over 200 new apprenticeships in 2021 with roles across digital marketing, business administration, software development and data analytics.

Amazon said it has set aside 1 million pounds over two years within the apprenticeship fund specifically to support apprenticeship roles in the creative industries, such as across film and TV, and music and publishing.

Amazon to help create 200 apprenticeship

Meanwhile, customers who use Amazon Web Services (AWS) and who take on AWS re/Start graduates will be able to take on apprentices with the training funded by Amazon through a levy transfer to help them upskill their workforce.

Amazon said it is also working with a number of local authorities who will serve as a transfer partner for small businesses, including the West Midlands Combined Authority, London Progression Collaboration and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

“We are proud to be creating new opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds across England to gain skills through the Amazon Apprenticeship Fund,” said, John Boumphrey, Amazon’s UK country manager, in a statement.

“We are committed to supporting the UK’s economic recovery post-Covid, and this fund will give our partners, customers and small businesses in the Amazon ecosystem the opportunity to take on talented apprentices who will help those organisations grow.”

This news comes after Amazon in May announced plans to create 10,000 new permanent jobs in the UK in 2021, bringing its total workforce there to more than 55,000 by the end of the year.