An operations supervisor from Liverpool is sharing her career story during Learning at Work Week 2023 (15th -21st May) with the aim of inspiring others to achieve their professional goals through lifelong learning at work.
Learning at Work Week is an annual programme run by the charity Campaign for Learning. The charity works with organisations around the UK to create activities and fun challenges in the workplace to help employees learn and grow. This year’s theme, Create the Future, explores how lifelong learning at work can help individuals and communities achieve life and work goals, shape lives, drive innovation and achieve organisational ambitions.
Thayana Triacca, who works at the Amazon Fresh distribution centre in Liverpool, has used Amazon’s development and training opportunities to shape her professional career at the company and hopes her story will encourage others to take their career to the next level through the Amazon Career Choice programme.
Thayana, who is from Liverpool, works at the Amazon Fresh distribution centre in the city as an operations supervisor. Whilst working, she is also studying web development through the Amazon Career Choice programme.
Thayana is originally from Brazil and moved to the UK in 2016 seeking new opportunities following a five-year career as a flight attendant. Thayana initially worked in hospitality after moving to the UK, but soon joined Amazon for a more stable, permanent role.
As part of her role at Amazon, Thayana manages staff during their shifts and implements employee engagement activities. “I really enjoy mixing with a lot of different cultures,” she says. “There’s a huge mix of cultures at Amazon and it’s so nice getting to know everyone’s stories as I plan events and encourage people to share their experiences – we’re like a huge family.”
Speaking on why she decided to take part in Amazon Career Choice, Thayana said: “I’ve had a keen interest in web development since the age of 15 when my dad arranged for me to take a basic course in the field and said it would be a great fit for me. I knew that Amazon would cover the cost of my course, I’d be given a great mentor, and the application process was very easy, so it was a no-brainer for me when I was thinking about applying. I can also continue in my role as an operations supervisor while boosting my skills in another area.”
To anyone considering putting themselves forward for the Amazon Career Choice programme, Thayana said: “Go for it! Knowledge is always good to have, even if it falls outside your immediate career plan. Keep studying and keep your mind alive – you never know what might come of it.”
Thayana is nearing completion of the web development course and hopes to pursue a career in the industry at Amazon in the near future.
Career Choice is an innovative programme which provides funding for adult education, offering to pre-pay 95% of tuition and reimburse employees for eligible fees for nationally recognised courses; up to £8,000 over four years. Courses available include accountancy, HGV driving and software development, and are designed to help employees pursue careers at Amazon or elsewhere.
Since launching in the UK in 2014, Career Choice has seen around 13,000 participants explore a range of opportunities, including starting or returning to school, learning new skills and languages, or earning industry certifications. The most popular fields of study in the UK are transportation administrative and business services and technology.
Amazon also provides opportunities to improve existing skills or learn new ones through internal career progression opportunities such as cross-training, transferring to a different department and promotion into a managerial role.
Amazon is investing £10 million over three years in training up to 5,000 employees in new skills to meet the UK’s future employment needs outside of Amazon. Amazon also partners with the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and local businesses on the programme to identify regional skills shortages and focus training on local demand.
Amazon employees receive competitive pay and comprehensive benefits. Pay starts between £11 and £12 per hour depending on location and employees are offered a comprehensive benefits package, including private medical insurance, life assurance, income protection and an employee discount as well as a company pension plan.
To find out more about a career with Amazon, visit Amazon Jobs.