Amazon holds event showcasing continuing education opportunities for employees in Robbinsville

and across New Jersey

ROBBINSVILLE, NJ – On Wednesday, September 12, New Jersey Department of Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo and Robbinsville Mayor David Fried, along with approximately 30 education and employment leaders, visited the Amazon fulfillment center in Robbinsville to learn more about Career Choice, the company’s innovative skilled workforce development program.

“In New Jersey, we’re always excited about employers who are working to train their employees for skills that will take them to a brighter future whether or not they’ll be in that specific company. Amazon is leading the charge in training its employees for careers that might be outside of Amazon to create ecosystems of skills and talent that this state needs to keep the economy growing,” said Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo.

He was joined by Amazon’s leadership, representatives from local colleges, employers, and community partners to hear first-hand about why Amazon is pre-paying 95% of the cost of different technical and vocational certifications or associate’s degrees for classes taught on-site at the fulfillment center.

“Amazon has been a terrific community partner and corporate citizen, and it is programs such as Career Choice which sets them apart from just about every company in world,” Robbinsville Mayor Dave Fried said. “The opportunity to not just have a job, but a career path with the potential to provide an employee with a continuing education and long-term security inside or outside the company is an incredible opportunity.”

Amazon’s employer partnerships with New Jersey companies continues to get Career Choice graduates hired for positions in healthcare, commercial truck driving, mechanical and skill trades, and IT/computer science in the area.

“We believe wholeheartedly in the potential of our associates and are committed to helping them build the careers they’ve always dreamed of,” said Liz Nagle, assistant general manager at Amazon’s Robbinsville fulfillment center. “The Career Choice program is designed to do just that for both associates who want to continue to grow at Amazon, and associates who want to pursue other career opportunities such as nursing.”

“Amazon is fulfilling in-demand jobs and helping to build skills for those in-demand jobs. This is exactly what my members tell me is missing every single day. We have over 40,000 vacant jobs and middle-level skill opportunities across the state of New Jersey. Those jobs pay so that folks can afford to live, work, and raise a family in the state of New Jersey and we need to make those connections better,” said Michele Siekerka, President and CEO of the New Jersey Business & Industry Association. “So we have demand, now we have companies working to build skills  – and not just in the vertical for their own company – but then to deliver those students out across the sphere. The partnership is extraordinary. So now when I think of Amazon, I’m not just going to think about fulfillment in terms of service and products, I’m going to think about fulfillment in terms of career, passion, and education, which is great.“