Study says over half of people in the North West favour on-the-job training over university degrees

More than half of people in the North West (59%) believe that on-the-job skills training or apprenticeships are more valuable for preparing people for work today than traditional university degrees, according to research released by Amazon.

The Amazon Future of Work & Career Development European study, which comes as students wait for their GCSE and A-Level results, also found less than a third (31%) of adults aged 16-75 in the North West believe that a traditional university degree is as essential for a good career as it was 10 years ago.

The study was commissioned by Amazon to mark the 10-year anniversary of the Amazon Career Choice programme. The programme provides 95% of pre-paid tuition, up to £8,000 over four years, for nationally recognised courses from more than 20 colleges and universities throughout the UK. It offers various training opportunities in a range of popular, in-demand job fields, from tech and sustainability to business administration and logistics, for its operations employees across the country.

The research shows more than half of workers in the North West (59%) believe that on-the-job skills training or apprenticeships are more valuable for preparing people for work today than traditional university degrees. Less than a third (31%) of workers in the North West aged 16-75 believe that a traditional university degree is as essential for a good career as it was 10 years ago.

When it comes to looking for a new job or role, the majority (89%) of people in the North West say career development training is important to them. When thinking about moving to a new job or role, 89% of adults in the North West say career development training is essential, very or fairly important and that training programmes offered by a potential employer is more or as important as company culture (77%) and flexible working (73%).

One potential reason is that many North West workers in the study said it would make them feel motivated (39%), encouraged (37%) supported (35%) and valued (35%) to work for a company that provides access to career development training.

One in four workers in the North West (24%) say they couldn’t afford to pay for training on their own. When it comes to jobs in the future, the study shows that training will need to play a key role in alleviating North West worker concerns, as 32% of workers are worried they won’t have the training and skills to be relevant in their job in the coming years.

In fact, seven out of ten workers (70%) believe that people in the workforce today will need to continue to retrain and update their skills to continue working in the future. However, only 16% of employees in the North West say they have access to training to help them change their career path, and one in five (21%) employees say they don’t think they have any access to training with their current employer.

Ian Jackson, General Manager at the Amazon fulfilment centre in Manchester, said:

“The research reflects what we’re seeing across our sites in the North West, and that is people in the region want access to skills training programmes. Amazon is proud to have offered our upskilling Career Choice programme in the UK for the past 10 years and now to further expand on our course options, so that thousands of employees in the North West and across the UK can continue to advance their skills and take on new career opportunities at Amazon and beyond.”

In 2014, Amazon launched its Career Choice programme in the UK providing its operations employees with funding for adult education, offering to pre-pay 95% of tuition and reimbursement for eligible fees for nationally recognised courses – up to £8,000 over four years.

Since the launch of Career Choice, Amazon has invested more than £55 million to give its UK employees access to more than 20 different programmes to help them maximise their potential within the company or further afield. To mark the 10-year anniversary of Career Choice, Amazon plans to invest a further £23 million in the UK this year and has added new courses including information security analysis, software testing, and procurement and supply chain.

Amazon is one of the top 10 private employers in the UK, with more than 75,000 employees, and more than 18,500 Amazon employees in the UK have participated in Career Choice since the programme launched. Learn more about Amazon’s upskilling and training programmes at aboutamazon.co.uk/workplace/upskilling