Wigan apprentice Mike says it's never too late for a career change

To mark National Apprenticeship Week 2021, Mike Radcliffe, a mechatronics engineering apprentice working at Amazon, says it is never too late for people to pursue the career they have always wanted.

Mike who is based in Warrington, is urging Wiganers to apply now for one of more than 1,000 new full-time Amazon apprenticeships available.

Recruitment has started for 25 different apprenticeship schemes, ranging from engineering to broadcast production, creative digital design to health, safety and environment technician.

Some 100 degree-level apprenticeships are available in automation engineering, project management, software development and chartered management.

More than 500 new apprenticeships will be offered to Amazon’s existing workforce, providing opportunities to retrain and gain new skills. Apprenticeships exclusively for Amazon employees range from a team leader through to a coaching practitioner.

The roles pay a minimum of £9.70 per hour in Warrington, up to £30,000 a year for degree-level apprenticeships.

In addition to being fully-funded, Amazon apprentices also receive a comprehensive benefits package, including private medical insurance, life assurance, income

protection, subsidised meals and an

employee discount – which combined are worth more than £700 annually – as well as a company pension plan.

The current Amazon apprenticeship schemes have attracted recruits from a range of different backgrounds –from a former barista, footballer and photographer, to former military veterans and nurses.

Throughout the last year, people have also joined Amazon from construction, customer services, health care, hospitality and sales industries.

After school, Mike went into the bricklaying trade but after a few years, decided that it wasn’t for him. He had always wanted to get into engineering, but has a daughter, which meant that he had financial commitments so couldn’t afford to re-train. He saw the apprenticeship with Amazon and realised that the salary allowed him to retrain while supporting his daughter.

Mike said: “I enjoy the variety and how every day is different, and I am always learning new things. The fact that there is constant change and improvement excites me, and I’ve learned about the value of teamwork.”

The 1,000 apprenticeships add to Amazon’s continued commitment to creating jobs and opportunities to learn new skills across the UK. Apprentice programmes last between 14 months and four years.

Once qualified, apprentices will have the potential to work across Amazon’s UK sites. Amazon also offers employees Career Choice, an innovative programme which pre-pays 95 per cent of tuition 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.

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