‘I had no idea what I was doing at 18 – now I’m running teams at Amazon’: Swansea apprentice shares her journey
Sara Evans, who works as an Area Manager at Amazon’s Swansea fulfilment centre, is sharing her experience during National Apprenticeship Week 2026. Amazon says it hopes stories like hers will encourage more people to consider apprenticeships.
Sara joined the company in 2014, straight out of school. “I literally had no idea about anything back then,” she said. “I’d ordered loads from Amazon, but I didn’t know how it worked behind the scenes. As soon as I started, I thought, ‘this is pretty cool’.”
According to Amazon, Sara began as a stower before her team leader spotted her potential and put her forward for extra training. She went on to become first‑aid trained, fire‑marshal trained and an instructor, before moving into team leadership.
Sara Evans on the warehouse floor at Amazon’s Swansea site during daily operations at the fulfilment centre.
(Image: Amazon)
Sara said her first apprenticeship helped her secure a permanent team leader role, which she held for several years before stepping up into management. When Amazon offered a higher‑level apprenticeship through the University of Exeter Business School, she applied immediately.
“The self‑awareness I’ve gained has been huge,” she said. “As a manager, earning people’s trust is everything. The apprenticeship goes really in‑depth on that.”
Sara said the best part of the job is the people she works with. “You’ve got to be honest and open with the team, and then it all works. Everyone wants to work for you and you work as one big unit.”
She added that she had always wanted to go to university but couldn’t afford to reduce her hours. “I can do this while I’m working. Why wouldn’t you do it? There are no negatives.”
Sara is due to complete her Operations Management Higher Apprenticeship in March 2026. She said she’s keeping her options open for the future, adding that Amazon offers “so many different fields” she could move into.
Her advice to anyone considering an apprenticeship is simple: “Just do it. It’s a no‑brainer.”
Amazon says its apprenticeship programme is ranked among the UK’s top three by the Department for Education. The company also says pay starts from £13.95 to £14.96 an hour depending on location, with benefits worth more than £700 a year.
Applications for 2026 are now open at amazonapprenticeships.co.uk.
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