Amazon Launches Workforce Training Initiative
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowAmazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) has announced an initiative to upskill 100,000 of its employees nationwide. The company, which has a large presence in Indiana, says it will invest more than $700 million to provide training programs for employees across its entire network to help them move into more highly-skilled roles inside or outside of Amazon.
The Upskilling 2025 pledge will see the company investing in new programs such as the Amazon Technical Academy, which aims to equip non-technical employees with the skills to transition into software engineering careers, and Associate2Tech, which trains fulfillment center employees to move into technical roles regardless of their previous IT experience.
Amazon has seven fulfillment and sortation centers throughout the state, as well as delivery centers in Gary and Indianapolis, with a third planned for South Bend. In an interview with Inside INdiana Business, Amazon Vice President of Workforce Development Ardine Williams said technology continues to become more important to companies in all sectors.
"If you look back and forward, technology really is influencing more and I don’t think there won’t be a division very much longer between tech and non-tech," said Williams. "So building technical skills is really key for all employees. It opens opportunities to higher-paying jobs."
Williams says the pledge also includes an expansion of existing programs, including its pre-paid tuition program for fulfillment center associates, Growing Career Choice, which will help them achieve a certificate or degree in a variety of fields of study, including those outside of Amazon such as aircraft mechanics, medical lab technologies and nursing.
You can read more about the initiative by clicking here.
Williams says the pledge also includes an expansion of existing programs.