RUNCORN MILITARY VETERAN CELEBRATED BY AMAZON TEAM

The team at the Amazon Fresh distribution centre in Little Hulton is celebrating Armed Forces Day (24th June) by paying tribute to the veterans and reservists from the services community who work at Amazon across the UK.

Dave Barton, who works at Amazon in Little Hulton as an operations manager, joined the company in 2016 after a career in the military. Dave has been talking about his experience of leaving the military and joining Amazon ahead of this year’s Armed Forces Day celebrations.

Before joining Amazon, Dave had a 25-year career in the British Army, with postings all over the world. He enrolled to the King’s Regiment the age of 17 in 1987 and finally left service in 2013.

Over the course of his British Army career Dave saw the Berlin Wall fall and toured in Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. His career also saw him engage in public duties at landmarks like Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London.

When he was about to retire from his role as a colour sergeant and instructor for armoured vehicles in 2011, he was called to one more tour to support his battalion’s deployment to Afghanistan which came with a promotion to sergeant major. His wife blessed his final act of service before Dave finally retired in 2013.

During his period of service, Dave was awarded ‘Mentioned in Dispatches’ for saving his colleague’s life during an IRA bombing. He also received a commendation in Kosovo for his intelligence work with the German special police.

Dave’s first civilian role was as a transport manager for a global chemicals firm. He was then head-hunted to be an operations manager for a large haulage company, and joined Amazon shortly after as a supervisor at an Amazon site in Manchester.

Since joining the company, Dave has been promoted several times, helped to launch multiple new sites in the UK and across Europe and now manages one of Amazon’s distribution centres in Manchester.

Speaking on his experience of joining Amazon, Dave said: “I had no idea what a career at Amazon would entail – I just wanted to try something new. Straight away, I found that the culture suited me perfectly, and a few of my colleagues, including my managers at the time, were also ex-military, so they understood me.”

Dave also explained the transferable skills he brought from the army to his role at Amazon, saying: “Getting stuck in, problem solving and putting your own stamp on projects are all skills that work both in the military, and at Amazon. Amazon really encourages ex-military team members to drive initiatives forward because we have great people-management skills, especially coming from roles like sergeant major, to make things happen and deal with problems. The culture is just bang on for ex-military people.”

At Amazon, Dave is also the UK communications director of the Amazon Warriors affinity group and Glamazon, Amazon’s LGBTQIA+ support network. As part of his work with the Warriors, Dave helps those who are about to leave the military due to illness or injury prepare for new civilian careers by hosting CV writing workshops and giving advice. He also promotes Amazon’s Military Spouses programme, which offers the spouses of servicemen or women the opportunity to be trained by Amazon and take up jobs in the locations their spouses are posted.

Many members of the military community join Amazon through the company’s military programme. The Amazon Military Programme offers members of the military community the opportunity to pursue a wide range of exciting new career paths. Last year over 350 veterans, reservist and military spouses joined in more than 35 different job roles including health and safety specialists, engineers and team leaders. These new employees joined more than 2,500 already employed at Amazon since it commenced its military programme in 2011.

Emma Morgan, Programme Manager, Global Military Affairs at Amazon, said: “We believe everyone should have the opportunity to learn and develop and we are passionate about extending these opportunities to veterans, military spouses and reservists. People from the military community add tremendous value to our workforce and it’s fantastic to celebrate them during this year’s Armed Forces Day events.”

Many members of the company’s military community are part of the Warriors at Amazon affinity group. Warriors at Amazon includes current and former active military personnel, their families, and employees who support them. This group provides members with a professional network, organises community outreach programmes, and assists veterans during their transition into civilian life.

Amazon has 13 affinity groups, also known as employee resource groups. They play an important role in bringing employees together and create a sense of community globally, while encouraging inclusivity and diversity. These groups include Glamazon, the Black Employee Network, Asians@Amazon, People with Disabilities and Women@.

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.

They 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.

For any ex-servicemen or women considering a career with Amazon, Dave has some advice. “The first day after I left the military, I was standing in a shop with the trolley full of groceries thinking “what next?”. The bubble of protection I had of knowing how each day would look was gone, and I was scared. I want to tell anyone leaving the military that they shouldn’t be afraid to call for help, because the change is scary. Amazon has incredible opportunities available, and you’ll have people like me making sure you’re okay.”
Launched in 2021 the Amazon Corporate Military Internship Programme 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, tailored support from line management and an onboarding 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 between £11 and £12 per hour depending on location, and 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 the company.