Amazon today launched the Amazon Youth Promise, its most comprehensive package of support ever to help young people into work. Amazon is committing 30,000 entry level roles to young people from areas with the least opportunities from this year through to 2030. The Youth Promise backs this with support designed to help young people before, during and after the application process: more than 10,000 work experience places, expanded programmes to help young people who face the biggest barriers to work, new recruitment events tailored for young job seekers, and new guidance and support for every young person who applies.
There are around a million young people in the UK who are not in education, employment, or training, the highest rate in a decade. Many want to work but don’t know where to start. The Youth Promise is designed to reach them, with jobs that don’t require a CV or prior work experience.
All roles start at £15.10 per hour – the equivalent of more than £31,000 a year pro rata – with access to private medical insurance and a pension from day one. These are operational roles at the heart of Amazon’s network – picking, packing and shipping millions of items to customers across the country. Amazon operates more than 100 sites across every nation and region of the UK.
“When I visit our sites, I meet young people who had no idea where to start six months ago”, said John Boumphrey, Amazon UK country manager. “They didn’t have a CV. They didn’t have experience. What they had was a positive attitude and a willingness to learn. For many, Amazon was their first step into work. The Youth Promise is about reaching and supporting more people like them, in the places where those first chances are hardest to find.”
“This government’s mission is to get Britain working, which is why we are backing employers who share our ambition to create opportunity in every part of the country”, said Pat McFadden, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. “It’s great to see Amazon joining the growing number of major businesses backing our Youth Guarantee to give every young person the chance to earn or learn. Their Youth Promise will help thousands of young people take their first step into work, with good pay, real support and a clear route to progress. This is exactly the kind of employer leadership that will reach young people in the communities that need it the most and drive our economy forward.”
“More than 8 in 10 young people who are NEET want to be in work or training”, said The Rt Hon Alan Milburn. “The aspiration is there. What’s missing is the opportunity, the first rung has thinned, and too many young people can’t get a foot in the door. Amazon’s commitment is helping to rebuild that first rung, with 30,000 opportunities for young people. It shows what’s possible when employers take action to stop a lost generation.”
Too many young people leave education without any experience of a real workplace
Amazon is trebling the number of work experience places it offers each year, from around 900 this year to more than 3,000 a year by 2030. In total, more than 10,000 young people will get a work experience placement over the period, including more than 6,000 new places created as part of the Youth Promise. Opportunities include one-week placements for school students and young people not in work, three-week online T Level team projects delivered live with Amazon employees, and 45-day T Level industry programmes where students spend nine weeks working inside Amazon teams. More than a third of last year’s T Level industry placement students eligible for conversion went on to become Amazon apprentices.
These programmes are delivered with partners including The King’s Trust, Media Trust and Forces for Employment, alongside the recently announced Opening Shift programme with the British Retail Consortium and the Department for Work and Pensions.
Not everyone starts from the same place
For some young people, the route into work is made harder by a lack of experience, confidence or access to the right support. Amazon is expanding its pre-employment programmes, including the JOBS Project with Barnardo’s, to support 2,000 young people from 2027 – 2030, helping them build confidence and practical skills to move into work.
“Our research shows that too many young people are being priced out of the opportunities that could change their lives”, said Lynn Perry, Chief Executive of Barnardo’s. “Through our JOBS programme with Amazon, we have seen what happens when practical barriers are removed and young people get the support they need. Amazon’s commitment to expand this programme will help us ensure more young people can access the opportunities they need to thrive.”
Amazon helps more young people into work through its supported internships with DFN Project SEARCH than any other private employer in the UK. More than 300 young people with learning disabilities and autism have completed the programme since 2021, with more than 80% moving into permanent employment – compared to a national rate of just 6% for adults with learning disabilities. Earlier this year, Amazon committed to more than 1,000 supported internships by 2030, supporting young people into employment across more than 40 sites.
“We’re extremely proud of our partnership with Amazon and the transformational impact that these programmes deliver”, said Amy Mitchell, Interim CEO of DFN Project SEARCH. “Young people who arrive, perhaps lacking belief in themselves, leave the programme with real skills and real confidence to secure a real job. Our programmes with Amazon are proof that businesses can offer supported employment at scale and their commitment to go further will open doors that have been closed to young people with learning disabilities for far too long.”
Amazon has signed up to the UK government’s Youth Guarantee and will work with the Department for Work and Pensions to expand the reach of these programmes further in the years ahead.
Taking recruitment to the communities that need it most
The Youth Promise is not only about the number of opportunities available, but also about making sure that young people hear about them and can access them. Last year, Amazon held more than 180 recruitment events across the country, where young people could walk in without a CV, meet the team, and in many cases walk out with a job. More than 2,800 people have started work over the past 12 months after attending events run in partnership with local Jobcentres, local authorities and other partners. Amazon will expand the programme in 2027, with new events tailored to young job seekers, working with the Department for Work and Pensions Youth Hubs. These will include new events in areas where young people face significant barriers into work including Merseyside, Stoke-on-Trent, Greater Manchester, and South Yorkshire.
Every application should lead somewhere
“Applying for your first job can feel overwhelming, and too many young people get lost in the process”, said John Boumphrey, Amazon UK Country Manager. “Our commitment is that every young person who applies to Amazon gets something useful from the experience, whether that’s the job, a work experience placement, or practical help to improve their chances next time. No CV required – you just need a willingness to learn and a positive attitude.”
Every young person aged 18 to 24 who applies for a role at Amazon and is unsuccessful will receive a follow-up email with practical guidance, links to organisations that offer free help finding work, and a direct link to reapply when the next roles open up for them.
Young people preparing for their first job can also visit the Amazon Youth Promise page [page going live at 10.30pm 20 October] for practical tips on getting into work, videos showing what a day at Amazon actually looks like, and links to organisations that offer free support.
Last year almost half of people who joined Amazon’s operations teams came straight from education or unemployment. For the first time, Amazon is making a public commitment that it will direct opportunities towards the people and communities that need them most.
Beyond operational roles, Amazon is also investing in technology skills for young people through AWS. The AWS Skills to Jobs Tech Alliance, launched in the UK in 2025, is working with universities, colleges and education providers to give young people hands-on AI experience and connect them to employers, with a goal of preparing 100,000 learners with AI skills by 2030.
