Armed Forces Day: Amazon shines light on Port Talbot veteran

he team at the Amazon delivery station in Port Talbot is celebrating Armed Forces Day (25^th 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 Port Talbot is Tom Kingsley, who joined the company in 2019.

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.

Tom joined Amazon three years ago and is currently working as a delivery station manager based at the Port Talbot delivery station.

Before joining Amazon, Tom spent eight years in the British Army. Tom joined the Army in 2011 and spent a year at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst before serving as an engineering officer.

Tom’s major highlights during his time in the armed forces include deploying to Afghanistan and working in Nepal on community development projects.

Speaking on why he joined Amazon after leaving the military, Tom said:

“I have always admired Amazon for its scale and vision. Before coming here, I knew a few people who worked for the company, and they often discussed how much they valued the opportunities available at Amazon. There’s also a lot of similarities between the military and Amazon. The leadership principles aren’t dissimilar to the values and standards of the military, in terms of what’s important, and what you need to develop to be successful.” 

For anyone who has recently left the military, or is thinking of leaving the military, Tom has some advice: “Talk to people who have been through the programme. Have a look on LinkedIn for people who are ex-military and now working at Amazon and reach out. We’re all really keen to talk to people leaving the armed forces and we’ll always be available to answer any questions about what it’s like to transition to life here at Amazon.” 

Gillian Russell, Principle Programme Manager, Global Military Affairs and retired Royal Navy Officer at Amazon, added: “The military community brings huge value to the workforce and we have a dedicated team focused on bringing that talent into Amazon. We offer opportunities across the whole business and we train, develop and support veterans, military spouses and Reserves to flourish and thrive here. We believe everyone should have the opportunity to lean new skills and build their career at Amazon.”

Launched in 2021 the Amazon Corporate Military Internship Program is one such opportunity. It offers a direct path into corporate roles in e-commerce for those transitioning from the Armed Forces. Those on the programme are supported throughout their transition to the corporate world, including a military mentor who already works at Amazon, tailored support from line management and an on boarding buddy.

To find out more about beginning a career with Amazon, visit Amazon Jobs

Amazon provides competitive pay, comprehensive benefits and a modern, safe and engaging work environment for its employees. The roles pay a minimum of £10.00 or £11.10 per hour depending on location, and Amazon employees can also take advantage of Amazon’s pioneering Career Choice programme, which pre-pays 95% of tuition for courses in high-demand fields, up to £8,000 over four years, regardless of whether the skills are relevant to a career at Amazon. 

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 has invested over £32 billion in the UK since 2010 to provide convenience, selection and value to UK consumers, while supporting tens of thousands of businesses and creative professionals including small businesses selling on Amazon’s online stores, Amazon Web Services developers and Kindle Direct Publishing authors.