How Amazon is upskilling their hourly employees

Finding time to pursue higher education is getting easier for Amazon employees.

The e-commerce giant is partnering with college education platform Outlier.org to offer its 750,000 hourly employees access to a library of college courses, available for free. The class time can be transferred for college credit at universities, including the University of Pittsburgh.

“We want to meet learners where they are, regardless of where they are in their educational journey or their career journey,” says Tammy Thieman, global program lead of Amazon’s Career Choice program. “We are highly committed to ensuring that our employees get a good return on their investment of time for education.”

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Employees can sign up for 18 classes offered on the Outlier.org platform. Learning modules start every two weeks, making scheduling accessible. Removing these common barriers helps get more employees onto a career and learning track that works for them, Thieman says.

“We have folks who come in who finished highschool and didn’t go further than that, or they may have gotten a few college credits before they jumped into the workforce,” she says. “So we’ve doubled down our efforts to meet folks where they are and help them take that next step. And that looks different for everybody.”

Employees are increasingly eager for opportunities to expand their knowledge outside of the office. Nearly 70% of workers would switch jobs if they were offered free skills training, research from Amazon and Gallup found.

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However, there’s still a significant gap between interest and engagement. While 80% of employees are interested in going to school while working, only 20% know whether their employer offers an education benefit, a survey by employee education platform InStride found. For those who are aware, just 2% participate in the benefits available.

Promoting the importance of higher learning and making sure employees participate is the focus of a continuing education initiative for Amazon, Thieman says. The company plans to invest nearly $1.2 billion in higher education programs by 2025, including tuition reimbursement, diploma and GED programs and English as a second language certifications. Fifty-thousand employees have already taken part in their Career Choice program offerings.

Read more: Employee education is the key to preventing costly skills gaps

With the Great Resignation giving workers an opportunity to find employers who are fully invested in their success, education benefits can set an employer apart, Thieman says. The long-term impact for employees and employers alike is huge.

“We've heard from our employees that career success is important,” she says. “They care about upskilling. They care about skill development and career progression. Helping folks take the next step in their careers is going to continue to be important as we move forward.”