LONDON, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Amazon announced on Friday that it will create more than 10,000 new permanent jobs this year in Britain as the pandemic pushes more shoppers online.
The creation of new permanent roles nationwide will boost the British economy and bring Amazon's total workforce to more than 55,000 in 2021, the company said in a statement.
In addition to this, Amazon will invest 10 million pounds (14 million U.S. dollars) over three years to train up to 5,000 employees in new skills and support the British government's investment program.
The training will be offered through Amazon's Career Choice program, which covers the course fees for Amazon employees interested in pursuing a future career outside of the company.
The program offers funding for adult education, pre-paying 95 percent of tuition and associated fees for nationally recognized courses up to 8,000 pounds (11,261 U.S. dollars) over four years, with courses available ranging from accountancy to HGV (heavy goods vehicle) drivers and software developers.
British Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said: "Amazon's announcement today is fantastic news and a huge vote of confidence in the British economy, helping us deliver on our commitment to level up across the UK with a whopping 10,000 new permanent jobs. As we build back better from the pandemic, this is a prime investment in our retail sector."
"Providing staff with training to plug the skills gaps that exist within the local business community is going to be a key driver to increasing productivity and boosting the economy as the UK recovers from the pandemic," Shevaun Haviland, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, said.
Amazon's UK Country Manager John Boumphrey said: "We're proud of the front-line roles we offer across Amazon, and we also know that they will be a stepping stone for some in their career journey. For people whose ambitions fall outside of our company, we are pleased to support them by paying for training and academic courses that can get them to where they want to be." Enditem