Peterborough student celebrates Amazon apprenticeships

Jonathan Stoddart is one of the 1,600 apprentices currently taking part in the Amazon Apprenticeship programme. He is among 5,000 apprenticeships who have been offered placements in the UK over the last 10 years.

To mark the milestone, Amazon partnered with careers development platform Apprentice Nation to host an exclusive one-off gig featuring singer-songwriter Cat Burns.

Since the launch of the programme in 2013, there have been 5,000 Amazon apprenticeships offered.

The vast majority (85 per cent) of employees who completed their apprenticeships have gone on to build successful careers at Amazon and currently 79 per cent remain working with the company today.

Jonathan, from Peterborough, works at the Amazon fulfilment centre in the city as an IT engineer and is studying a business and technology degree apprenticeship through the programme.

He has completed two years of the programme and will finish in September 2024.

After leaving school, Jonathan studied music technology at Bath Spa University following a lifelong interest in music. Jonathan felt he wasn’t suited to a career in the music industry and decided to pursue other avenues, which led him to discover a passion for IT.

Jonathan says he has had many highlights during his apprenticeship with Amazon, but networking opportunities is the one thing that stands out for him.

“The amount of networking you can do through the apprenticeship programme is fantastic – I have the opportunity to talk to people all over the UK and over the world and build great relationships,” he said.

His advice for anyone considering joining the Amazon Apprenticeship programme: “Definitely go for it if it’s something you think you would enjoy.

"The one thing I would say is to be aware of the time commitment involved when working while you study - be sure you’re committed to what you’re signing up for before putting yourself forward. It can be hard work to fit it all in but it’s worth it!”