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When Ezekiel Oso emigrated from Nigeria to the U.S. in 2018, he was sure he’d be able to score a job in human resources thanks to his experience working in HR at a leading Nigerian bank. It didn’t turn out that way.

After unsuccessful attempts to land an HR role, Ezekiel took a fulfillment specialist position at an Amazon facility in Houston, where his responsibilities included packaging orders. While his day-to-day work was very different from what he’d done in the past, he never lost sight of his dream of moving into HR.

“I knew I could contribute more to Amazon’s bottom line,” Ezekiel says, “and be better suited in other roles.” 

In 2021, he got his chance. Ezekiel enrolled in an intensive IT systems support training offered for free by Amazon. Today, after several promotions, Ezekiel is an Amazon HR partner, where he leans heavily on the tech skills he learned during his training.

Ezekiel is one of more than 150,000 Amazon employees in 14 countries who have participated in Amazon Career Choice, an education and skills training program that helps workers move into new career opportunities at Amazon or at other companies. Launched in 2012, Career Choice is targeted to hourly workers (and in the U.S. workers are eligible to enroll after just 90 days on the job). Amazon prepays tuition — meaning employees never get a bill — and offers reimbursements for books and school fees.

And all of this helps to explain why Amazon has, for three years running, topped LinkedIn’s annual list of the best U.S. companies at which to grow your career. 

“We’re super excited about helping our employees take the next step in their career,” says Tammy Thieman, director of Amazon Career Choice. “The next step may be a lateral move to a new industry or it may be a step-up in wages.”

Like a growing number of employers, Amazon is investing in upskilling and internal mobility as it seeks to enhance employee experience. Career Choice is part of Amazon’s larger commitment to spend more than $1.2 billion by 2025 to provide 300,000 U.S. workers with the training they need to build successful careers in whatever field they choose.

This isn’t charity. Investments in upskilling and internal mobility give employers significant advantages, helping close skills gaps, attract candidates, improve retention, and lower talent acquisition costs. When an employer is highly committed to internal hiring, employees stay at that company 60% longer, according to LinkedIn’s 2023 Future of Recruiting report. 

Amazon helps employees obtain college degrees, high school diplomas, and industry-specific training

Career Choice offers Amazon employees multiple options for continuing their education. Workers can choose to enroll at one of more than 400 participating educational institutions around the globe and obtain a college degree. Or they might decide to finish high school, improve their English through language programs, or obtain a General Educational Development (GED) diploma. 

Another alternative is to follow the path that Ezekiel took and participate in a Career Choice Pathways program, where employees gain industry-specific skills. Amazon offers skills training in five areas: technology, health care, transportation, mechanical and industrial systems, and business and administration systems. 

After successfully completing their coursework, participants receive certification as well as help finding a new position that matches their newly acquired skills. While Amazon doesn’t disclose how many Pathways participants go on to secure new jobs, a large percentage do so, Tammy says.

In an effort to find more potential new jobs for its workers, Amazon also solicits “employer partners,” fellow employers who might want to hire Pathways graduates. The tech company recognizes that while some people come to Amazon to build their careers there, others see Amazon as a launching pad for working elsewhere. 

Amazon’s approach to upskilling: start by identifying in-demand jobs

In designing the Pathways program, Amazon started by studying the labor market and focusing on areas where demand is strong.

“In many cases, folks who offer education benefits will say, ‘Hey, we’re going to offer you this education and we wish you the best of luck,’” Tammy says. “We start with the end job in mind, and then we build backward from there.”

Amazon partners with skills-training providers and works with them to design courses that will help Amazon workers excel in new roles. The length of the courses will vary, depending upon the field of study. The program Ezekiel chose, for instance, lasted 25 weeks, consisting of 13 weeks of training both in-person and virtually and 12 weeks of job placement support. 

Workers learn during their free time, but their work schedules are flexible. Participants can request a shift or schedule adjustment as school-related demands arise. 

In addition to offering training, Amazon provides career coaching and job placement services. From Day 1 of their employment, employees have access to coaches who help them identify their career goals and choose the appropriate course.  

After employees finish their training, coaches help them improve their resumes and prepare for interviews. A job board lists job openings that align with a given upskilling program. Participants are connected to recruiters within Amazon, as well as with recruiters from Amazon’s employer partners. 

“It’s really the whole pipeline that we’re thinking about,” Tammy says, “to ensure that the education is doing what the participant is really wanting, which is taking the next step in their career.”

A Pathways course helps an Amazon employee get even better at her job

Tyla’r McGraw joined Amazon in 2019 as a seasonal associate and is now an Amazon workplace health and safety specialist. A licensed EMT who enjoys learning new skills, Tyla’r recently enrolled in a Pathways program and earned a commercial driver’s license.

For five weeks, she trained from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and then headed to her job working the nightshift. The training she received, she says, is helping her ensure that the 18-wheelers and the tractor trailers at her work site are following proper safety protocols. Now Tyla’r is thinking about studying for a second bachelor’s degree or obtaining another skills certification through Amazon’s Career Choice.  

“I don’t think I would’ve pursued this path,” she says, “if the certification wasn’t paid for and I didn’t have the scheduling support. Career Choice gave me an opportunity to learn new skills and explore an entirely new career path.”

Final thoughts

Many employers don’t have anywhere near the budget Amazon can command to support upskilling and internal mobility efforts. Even so, there are lessons to learn from Amazon’s approach.

Identify in-demand jobs and areas within your organization where skills gaps exist.Find the right learning providers and offer courses that set your employees up for success.Foster a culture where continuous learning is encouraged. Provide workers with the flexibility to adjust their work schedule so that they can juggle their jobs and their trainings. Recognize that offering skills training is just one piece of the puzzle. To promote internal mobility, it’s important to also offer career coaching and job placement services.List internal job openings so that employees can easily see opportunities as well as the skills and experience required to take the next step.

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