Amazon partners with LEGO to encourage STEM

Amazon partners with The LEGO Group to donate 200 robotics kits to local Parkland County area community groups to encourage STEM learning.

Amazon today announced plans to open its first Amazon robotics fulfilment centre in Parkland County, Alberta. The new robotics fulfilment centre, set to launch in 2022, is more than 600,000 square feet and will be used to pick, pack and ship small items to customers such as books, electronics, and toys. This will create more than 1,000 full- and part-time jobs starting at US$16 an hour with benefits and opportunities to work alongside Amazon Robotics in an industry-leading workplace.

To celebrate, Amazon will be donating more than 200 build-your-own robot kits to community groups in the Parkland County area to provide the resources necessary to introduce local youth to the world of robotics, unlock their imagination and explore a new challenge.

“We’re excited to expand our operations and create great, safe careers of the future for talented Albertans starting on Day One,” said Vibhore Arora, Regional Director, Amazon Canada. “Robotics and advanced technologies make our fulfilment centres safer and more collaborative, which is a big part of our mission to become Earth’s Safest Place to Work.”

“This is exciting news for Alberta. It is a vote of confidence in our economy and will create over a thousand jobs for Albertans, right when we need them most. As we continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, high-tech investments like this will continue to get people back to work as we diversify and look towards the future,” said Alberta Premier Jason Kenney. “Thank you to Amazon as well for the generosity you’ve shown to community groups in Parkland County with the donation of 200 robotics kits to support STEM learning.”

“Amazon’s vote of confidence in Alberta with their new robotics fulfilment centre shows the momentum our province has in the technology space while enhancing their customer experience and creating a thousand jobs,” said Doug Schweitzer, Minister of Jobs, Economy and Innovation.

“Council is tremendously excited to welcome Amazon to Parkland County,” said Mayor Rod Shaigec. “The facility is a major investment and will create a significant number of jobs in the region.”

“I’m excited for our young people, a top-five global business leader focused on technology and commerce innovation is setting up operations across the street in Parkland County,” said William Morin, Chief of the Enoch Cree Nation 135. “This means our young people have a real example of the future global economy they can be a part of.”

Working with robots at Amazon

Over the past two decades, Amazon has introduced many innovations and different elements of technology to help deliver products quickly and reliably to meet ever-growing customer needs and expectations – Amazon Robotics is one of these innovations.

Since the launch of Amazon Robotics at fulfillment centers in 2012, Amazon has created around 300,000 jobs worldwide. The smart systems support employees in their tasks, and the company continues to invest in new logistics centers, jobs and workplace safety measures.

As Alberta’s first Amazon robotics facility, it is also an important investment in the province’s growing technology sector and results in increased job growth and upskilling opportunities for Amazon employees.

“Collaborative jobs between robots and humans as full-fledged teammates have the potential to not just increase quality, make jobs safer and faster but to enable humans to be more creative, and innovative, and to cooperatively solve many of humanity’s greatest challenges,” said Dr. Alex Ramirez-Serrano, Professor of the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at the University of Calgary.

Interested parties can learn more about Amazon Robotics and the growth opportunities it brings to Alberta at an upcoming webinar hosted by Inventures, one of Western Canada’s most prominent tech startup conferences. Registration link coming soon.

Job creation, career growth and economic benefit

All operational employees receive hours of safety training and ongoing career coaching. Employees at the Parkland County facility will have access to continuing education opportunities through Amazon’s upskilling programs like Career Choice, where the company pre-pays up to 95 per cent of tuition for courses related to in-demand fields. Full-time employees will also receive competitive benefits, including hourly wages starting at $16 in the province, medical, vision and dental coverage, a group RRSP plan, stock awards, and performance-based bonuses starting on day one.

Amazon employs more than 3,600 employees full- and part-time operations employees in the Prairie provinces and has invested more than $600M in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. To learn more about the economic benefits Amazon Canada is creating, read the company’s Economic Report.

Engaging the Alberta community in the world of robotics

To celebrate, Amazon and the LEGO Group will donate 200 robotics kits to local community groups in the Parkland County area where the new robotics fulfilment centre will be located. Over the next month, groups such as Boys and Girls Club, Alberta Parenting for the Future Association, Parkland Village School and Stoney Plain Public Library will receive a shipment of build-your-own kits, and their program participants can begin building, coding, and learning about robotics. Amazon wants to inspire the local Parkland County community to engage in the world of robotics and gain access to a new and exciting pastime to mark the occasion.

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About Amazon

Four principles guide amazon:

• Customer obsession rather than competitor focus
• Passion for invention
• Commitment to operational excellence
• Long-term thinking

Amazon strives to be Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company, Earth’s Best Employer, and Earth’s Safest Place to Work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Career Choice, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, Alexa, Just Walk Out technology, Amazon Studios, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon.

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