Amazon commits $1.4m to fund UK creative apprenticeships

The Grand Tour

Media and retail giant Amazon has created a £2.5m ($3.5m) UK Apprenticeship Fund, with £1m ($1.4m) of that set aside specifically for the nation’s creative industries, including the TV and film sector.

The funds, which will also help to support apprenticeship roles across music and publishing, will go to indie production companies across England to train the next generation of creative talent.

Amazon, which last week announced an $8.45bn deal for US studio MGM, is working with other organisations such as the UK Screen Alliance and dedicated training providers including LDN apprenticeships and All Spring Media, who will help transfer levy funds to small businesses in the creative industries wanting to take on an apprentice.

Amazon Originals produced in the UK include documentary series such as All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur, entertainment programming like The Grand Tour, and scripted series like The Rig, which is currently in production in Scotland.

The wider £2.5m fund has been set up to support small business across England to upskill their workforces, with the aim of funding more than 200 new apprenticeships through levy transfers.

“We are proud to be creating new opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds across England to gain skills through the Amazon Apprenticeship Fund,” commented John Boumphrey, UK Country Manager, Amazon.

“We are committed to supporting the UK’s economic recovery post-Covid, and this fund will give our partners, customers and small businesses in the Amazon ecosystem the opportunity to take on talented apprentices who will help those organisations grow.”