The team at the Amazon delivery station in Wembley celebrated Armed Forces Day (25th June) by shining a light on some of the veterans and reservists working across Amazon’s UK operations network.
One of the veterans currently working at Amazon in Wembley is Alex Smith, who joined the company in 2021.
The Amazon Military Programme offers members of the military community the opportunity to pursue a wide range of exciting new career paths at Amazon. This year Amazon will recruit (or has recruited) over 300 veterans, reservists and military spouses across the business in over 35 different jobs ranging from health & safety specialists, engineers, sales managers and team leaders to senior managers. These new employees join over 2,500 already employed at Amazon since it commenced its military programme in 2011.
Amazon has been awarded the Employer of the Year Award at the Ex-Forces in Business Awards for two years in succession for its outstanding efforts in supporting ex-services personnel and military spouses. The Ex-Forces in Business Awards is the world’s largest celebration of military veterans in second careers.
The awards are dedicated to providing a much-needed platform for uncovering and showcasing the business achievements of ex-military, recognising the value veterans add to businesses as well as the employers that support the transition of servicemen and women. Amazon’s military onboarding plan, dedicated mentoring platform and thriving employee resource group ‘Warriors at Amazon’ continue to ensure our ex-forces have the best possible start to their second careers in Industry.
Amazon is also a proud signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant. The Covenant, originally introduced in 2011, has a focus on helping the Armed Forces community to access the same support from government and commercial services as the public.
Amazon first signed the Armed Forces Covenant in 2013 and renewed its commitment in 2021, vowing to uphold its key principles and to demonstrate its commitment to serving personnel, reservists, veterans and families.
Alex joined Amazon eight months ago and is currently working as a chartered management apprentice based at the delivery station in Wembley.
Alex joined the military after completing his studies at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. He worked for six years as an RAF musician, playing trumpet, before leaving to join Amazon.
Alex’s role in the RAF afforded him opportunities to take part in the Changing of the Guard, The Edinburgh Military Tattoo, and more recently, the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral.
Speaking on why he joined Amazon after leaving the military, Alex said: “Having time to reflect during the pandemic prompted me to seek a career that would allow music to become a hobby again. I’d heard that the military culture at Amazon was good and decided that it would be a great company to join to gain new qualifications whilst also making a living.
“I have no regrets about the decision I made to join Amazon, as all that I’d heard about the culture was true. There are also so many skills I learned in the military that transferred to life at Amazon, including the ability to integrate into a new team quickly, effective communication, and keeping calm on the job. The prospect of leaving the military can be scary, but the transition was easy for me thanks to Amazon’s excellent support network for ex-servicemen and women.”
Sarika Shah, Senior Delivery Station Manager at Amazon in Wembley, said: “The Amazon Military Programme has been a fantastic success and Alex is one of the many brilliant veterans and reservists working in Amazon buildings here in Wembley and around the UK. The skills learned in the military are highly transferable to a role at Amazon and we’re pleased to continue offering employment, training and development opportunities to former servicemen and women through our programme.”
