Exeter student encourages others to follow in their footsteps during National Apprenticeship Week 2026
An apprentice from Warrington who works at Amazon’s fulfilment centre in town is encouraging others to become an apprentice and pursue their dream career during National Apprenticeship Week 2026 (9-15 February 2026).
Rachel Houghton from Warrington is taking part in the Amazon Apprenticeship programme and is sharing her story to encourage others to consider an apprenticeship.
Rachel is a HR Business Partner and is completing a Senior People Professional Apprenticeship through the University of Exeter, combining her full-time role with master’s level studies. She is due to complete her final assessment in June this year.
Rachel joined Amazon over seven years ago after completing a business management degree from the University of Leeds. She started as a shift manager in operations - her first management role - just months before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
“I didn’t have time to think. I went for a standard management role because of my business management degree,” Rachel said. “And I was really fortunate to get it.”
During the pandemic, Rachel was living away from home and managing large teams whilst the business grew exponentially. She was promoted to area manager in operations before moving into training roles within the academy, where she trained other new managers joining the business.
After a few years in various operational roles, Rachel had a realisation. “I remember having this moment where I thought, actually, what do I want to do long-term? I think when I came out of uni I was so happy to have a job, but then I said, okay, is Amazon the company that I want to progress in? If it is, is it always going to be operations?”
Rachel sought out a mentor within Amazon who encouraged her to explore different departments. She discovered that the aspects of management she loved most - developing people and building teams - aligned with HR.
“I realised I couldn’t do the thing I liked best in my role at the time, which was to impact the bigger picture. I couldn’t change certain things, and I didn’t know much about policies, or why we managed talent in certain ways,” she explained.
In a move that Rachel describes as “quite unique,” she transitioned from operations to HR without having any HR qualifications. When the apprenticeship opportunity arose, she saw it as a chance to gain formal accreditation whilst continuing to work.
“I had the opportunity to do the five or the seven," Rachel said, referring to the CIPD level 5 or level 7 apprenticeships. “I’d only been in HR about six months when I applied, so it was kind of a challenge for me. I thought, why not challenge myself, go hard or go home?”
The level 7 Senior People Professional apprenticeship combines her role with master’s level studies - something Rachel had always ruled out after completing her undergraduate degree.
“When I left education initially, I always said I’d never go back and do a master’s because I was desperate to get into the world of work,” she said. “I just wanted to use the things I’d learned in textbooks, I wanted to go and do it and see if it worked. So I think the apprenticeship was the perfect hybrid for me.”
The apprenticeship has given Rachel the theoretical grounding to complement her practical experience. One highlight was studying employment law, which helped her understand the business perspective of HR.
“You learn in your role as HR, that you’re here for the employees, but also considering the business lens as well,” Rachel said. “It kind of opened that up to me. My role is to support both.”
Rachel appreciates that Amazon encourages apprentices to apply their learning in practice. “They’re not just telling us to do an assignment and then not do anything with it. They want you to take your learnings and apply them and spread it amongst the team.”
Looking ahead, Rachel plans to continue developing her HR career. The apprenticeship has given her confidence that her skills and CIPD accreditation are recognised globally - important for someone who has considered relocating to Australia in the future.
“It’s given me that confidence that that is acknowledged and recognised elsewhere,” she said. “The CIPD is also recognised globally as well, so I think it just gives you that kind of additional skill and edge in a job market that can be quite challenging sometimes.”
Her advice to anyone considering an apprenticeship is clear: “I think it’s a really good opportunity. Even if you’ve got a lot on, as long as you’re willing, I think you can make it work.”
As she approaches her final assessment, Rachel is already thinking about what’s next. “I’m already sitting here going, what am I going to do with my time now? Because I’ve actually realised that you can create time for all kinds of things, it’s just about how you use it. So I’m already thinking, what else do I want to do next?”
The Amazon Apprenticeship programme is recognised as one of the UK's top three apprenticeship schemes by the Government’s Department for Education.
Young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) can also take advantage of the Amazon Supported Internship programme. Launched in 2021, the initiative combines classroom learning with practical work experience; helping interns develop essential skills in English, Maths, and CV writing, while gaining hands-on experience across three operational job functions.
Pay at Amazon starts from £13.95 or £14.96 per hour depending on location, equating to between £29,037 and £31,116 annually. Additionally, from day one, all employees are offered a comprehensive benefits package including private medical insurance, life assurance, income protection, and an employee discount. Together, these benefits are worth more than £700 annually, and employees can take advantage of a company pension plan.
Applications are now open for Amazon’s apprenticeship programme. For more information, visit: www.amazonapprenticeships.co.uk
