An engineering operations technician from Chesterfield is sharing his career story during Learning at Work Week 2023 (15th -21st May) with the aim of inspiring others to achieve their professional goals through lifelong learning at work.

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, Create the Future, explores how lifelong learning at work can help individuals and communities achieve life and work goals, shape lives, drive innovation and achieve organisational ambitions.

Mark Bowman, who works at Amazon in London, has used Amazon’s development and training opportunities to shape his professional career at the company and hopes his story will encourage others to take their career to the next level through the Amazon Career Choice programme.

Mark, who is from Chesterfield, works at Amazon in London as an engineering operations technician. He secured the role after completing an HNC in Electrical & Electronic Engineering through the Amazon Career Choice programme.

Prior to joining Amazon, Mark worked for an international engineering company. Whilst in his previous role, he wished for a more flexible working pattern that would allow him to spend more time with his son. As a result, he began searching for new jobs, and was drawn to Amazon because of the company’s flexible shift patterns and straightforward application process. Mark joined the company in 2019 and hasn’t looked back.

As part of his current role, Mark leads an engineering team in a data centre to ensure that data systems are managed correctly, and information is kept secure. His experience on the Electrical & Electronic Engineering Career Choice programme cemented his passion for engineering and data management, allowing him to feel comfortable and confident in his role.

Speaking on his experience, Mark said: “I was encouraged by my mentor at Amazon to take on the HNC in Electrical & Electronic Engineering as soon as joined the company. I’ve been lucky to complete many other training programmes, and had the opportunity to go to Dublin not long ago for more courses too. It’s been great to be given these opportunities to develop my skills and progress in my career, and I feel very supported doing so. To be able to say I now run the infrastructure and data systems is really rewarding.

“I also took advantage of the Career Choice programme to complete HGV driver training to boost my overall skillset. I’m pleased to have this qualification under my belt in case I decide to change career later in life.”

To anyone considering putting themselves forward for the Amazon Career Choice programme, Mark said: “I’m such an advocate for Career Choice – I tell everyone about it! Amazon understands the importance of investing in people, so the opportunities for employees are fantastic. There’s an amazing range of courses available through Career Choice and Amazon even covers virtually the entire cost, which is great.”

What’s next for Mark? On a short-term basis, Mark has his sights set on securing a higher position at Amazon. Long-term, he hopes to one day manage a data centre, and plans to continue using Amazon’s training and development opportunities to boost his prospects.

Career Choice is an innovative programme which provides funding for adult education, offering to pre-pay 95% of tuition and reimburse employees for eligible fees for nationally recognised courses; up to £8,000 over four years. Courses available include accountancy, HGV driving and software development, and are designed to help employees pursue careers at Amazon or elsewhere.

Since launching in the UK in 2014, Career Choice has seen around 13,000 participants explore a range of opportunities, including starting or returning to school, learning new skills and languages, or earning industry certifications. The most popular fields of study in the UK are transportation administrative and business services and technology.

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

Amazon is investing £10 million over three years in training up to 5,000 employees in new skills to meet the UK’s future employment needs outside of Amazon. Amazon also partners with the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and local businesses on the programme to identify regional skills shortages and focus training on local demand.

Amazon employees receive competitive pay and comprehensive benefits. Pay starts between £11 and £12 per hour depending on location 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.