Learning at Work Week: Doncaster learning and development trainer offers career tips

Learning at Work Week is an annual programme run by the charity Campaign for Learning. The charity works with organisations around the UK to create activities and fun challenges in the workplace to help employees learn and grow.

This year’s theme, Learning power, explores how lifelong and continual learning gives people power to change, grow and achieve individual, team and organisational goals.

Laura Vieru, who works at one of Amazon’s fulfilment centres in Doncaster, has used Amazon’s development and training opportunities to shape her professional career.

One of the programmes Laura is taking part in at Amazon is Amazon Career Choice. The programme, which has been running at Amazon for the past decade, pre-pays up to 95% of tuition and fees 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.

Courses available include accountancy, HGV driving and software development, and are designed to help employees build careers at Amazon or elsewhere. It means that eligible employees are given the opportunity to gain the skills and qualifications needed to follow their career aspirations.

Laura, who used the programme to help secure their role as a learning and development trainer, has shared their story to encourage others to take their career to the next level using the Amazon Career Choice programme.

Laura’s been with Amazon for eight years and is currently taking part in her second Amazon Career Choice programme.

Her Amazon career started at the company’s fulfilment centre in Dunstable. She didn’t speak English very well at the time, and whilst she knew about Amazon Career Choice, she was too nervous to sign herself up for a programme because she saw her language skills as a learning barrier.

After a few years, Laura transferred to one of Amazon’s fulfilment centres in Doncaster. Here, most of her colleagues were enrolled on Amazon Career Choice programmes and she was inspired to take part in one herself. Her English had improved, and she felt it was time to make her move.

At the time, Laura was working as a learning and development instructor. She enrolled on a human resources (HR) assistant diploma through Amazon Career Choice to learn about how HR and learning and development work together.

Although she found that HR wasn’t for her, Laura was pleased to understand what she liked so much about her role. She knew she liked sharing knowledge, coaching and giving feedback, so she wanted to take part in another programme that would enhance her skills in those particular areas.

Laura is now enrolled on a people management course through Amazon Career Choice, which she’ll complete later this year.

“It’s a shame I hadn’t done Career Choice sooner,” said Laura, “as I could have boosted my career much more quickly. My barrier was language, but I needn’t have worried, as the coaches are really supportive. Classes are virtual, but you can have in-person meetings with your tutors and get the one-to-one guidance you need to do your best.”

What’s Laura’s advice for people hoping to boost their careers?

“Take advantage of internal training opportunities. You can increase your knowledge and skills and improve your lifestyle by engaging with lifelong learning that aligns with your career goals. If you work somewhere like Amazon, then the best part is that your development is paid for, which you don’t get at every company.”

Amazon also provides opportunities to improve existing skills or learn new ones through internal career progression opportunities such as apprenticeships, transferring to a different department and promotion to a managerial role.

Amazon Doncaster General Manager, Gill Federov, added: “We are proud of Laura’s success through the Amazon Career Choice programme. Career development is at the core of our culture at Amazon, where lifelong learning is promoted at every turn. Many of our team members have taken part in Career Choice and are now fulfilling their potential on Amazon teams all over the UK, Ireland and further afield. Others have gone on to successful careers elsewhere, and we are proud to have supported them in their professional development by giving them extra tools for success in their new roles. We look forward to offering employees even more choices in the future as Amazon Career Choice evolves and grows.”

Amazon employees receive competitive pay and comprehensive benefits. Pay starts at a minimum of £12.30 per hour in Doncaster and employees are offered a comprehensive benefits package, including private medical insurance, life assurance, income protection and an employee discount as well as a company pension plan.

Amazon has been named as a ‘Top Employer UK 2024’ by the Top Employer Institute, one of the world’s most prestigious certifications in the field of human resources management. This award recognises Amazon’s commitment to the development and well-being of its employees. In addition to the UK accolade, Amazon has also been certified as one of the Top Employers in Europe for a second consecutive year.

In 2023, Amazon ranked in second place on LinkedIn’s Top Companies list — an annual list that identifies the most sought-after places to work and grow your career in the UK. Using data from LinkedIn’s 900 million members, LinkedIn’s Top Companies list is designed to help professionals identify the best companies to grow their careers.

To find out more about a career with Amazon, visit Amazon Jobs.