Key takeaways
- Amazon's Career Choice program is helping front-line employees train for jobs with Project Kuiper, our satellite internet initiative.
- Since 2012, more than 250,000 employees worldwide have used Career Choice to pursue a wide variety of new education efforts.
- The satellite technician certification is available to eligible Amazon hourly employees via Career Choice and members of the general public through Lake Washington Institute of Technology.
In Kirkland and Redmond, Washington, one of Amazon’s boldest ventures is taking shape: Project Kuiper, a constellation of more than 3,200 low Earth orbit satellites that will beam high-speed internet to underserved communities worldwide. Rather than looking solely outward for the people to manufacture these satellites, Amazon is developing top aerospace talent from within its front-line workforce.
Scenes from Project Kuiper’s first mission
Through Career Choice, Amazon’s education benefit program, hourly employees from fulfillment centers are training to become satellite technicians. Amazon partnered with Lake Washington Institute of Technology (LWTech) to create a specialized six-month certification program covering aerospace assembly, electronics manufacturing, fiber optics, avionics wiring, and more.
“Washington state is becoming the Silicon Valley for space, and we want to grant our employees there the option to join this growing industry,” said Brian Huseman, Amazon’s vice president of public policy and community engagement. “By upskilling our front-line workforce into satellite technicians, we’re both accelerating our manufacturing capabilities and ensuring that the U.S. remains a leader in space-based technologies.”
Meet the first three employees who moved from Amazon’s front-line workforce to joining Project Kuiper.
“My golden ticket”
When Nadine Finegold met her husband Richard at an Amazon fulfillment center several years ago, they were both stowing packages. However, soon they will be working together in Project Kuiper’s high-tech clean rooms, helping assemble satellites that will one day form a constellation 366 miles above Earth.
Nadine Finegold is one of the more than 250,000 Amazon employees who have used Career Choice to pursue new education efforts.“Because I worked nights, Richard switched to my shift, and then he asked me out to coffee,” Finegold said. “Fast forward a few years, I told him how great this program was, and he joined with me, and it’s been phenomenal. I’ve been trying to share my story with the other transportation associates because we’re like family. They say, ‘Oh, maybe later or in another lifetime,’ and I say, ‘No, you can do it now.’”
More than 250,000 employees worldwide have used Career Choice to pursue new education efforts. Launched in 2012, the program is open to most Amazon hourly full-time and part-time employees after 90 days of continuous employment, with no limit to the number of years they can participate, and covers tuition costs for a wide range of educational opportunities.
“I’d always been in the warehouse, but, after I learned about Career Choice, I had this goal in mind: I wanted to work for Kuiper,” said Finegold, who recently celebrated her seventh year with Amazon. “Amazon paid for all of it and gave me a leg up. They gave me accommodations and my own computer for the first time ever. I mean, who does that? Career Choice was my golden ticket.”
A career journey with Amazon
For Dezmond Hernandez, the path from fulfillment centers to satellites was driven by a childhood fascination with space.
“I started out at Amazon as a basic warehouse associate,” Hernandez said. “I was everywhere, stowing, picking, and packing. I didn’t know what Kuiper was, but I was always interested in space as a kid. So, when I heard about Amazon doing this, I signed up. And, because I already worked at Amazon, they covered my tuition.”
Dezmond Hernandez completed the Satellite Technician Certification Program and now tests Project Kuiper components to ensure they’ll work properly in the space.Hernandez’s journey was unique, as he had already secured a position as a material coordinator with Project Kuiper before his coursework began. This dual experience—working at Kuiper while simultaneously studying the technical skills—provided him with a comprehensive understanding to both the theoretical and practical aspects of satellite technology.
“The class taught us how to solder, rivet, route wiring, splice wires, and use tools we use a lot here at Kuiper,” Hernandez said. “If someone wants to get their foot in the door and get experience in this line of work, it’s most definitely worth it. Before I knew it, I had recruiters approaching me from all sorts of companies, so these courses are a really good opportunity.”
After completing the Satellite Technician Certification Program, Hernandez advanced to become a space simulation technician for Project Kuiper, where he tests critical components to ensure they’ll function properly in the harsh conditions of space.
“When you think of Amazon, you just think of warehouses or packages,” Hernandez said. “This opened my eyes that Amazon’s a lot bigger—and there’s a lot more opportunity out there for employees like me.”
Fulfilling a childhood dream
Tony Vashisht, who worked at a robotics delivery station before joining Project Kuiper, brings a unique perspective from his previous career in computer science. For him, the certification program represented the fulfillment of a lifelong aspiration.
Thanks to Amazon’s investment, Tony Vashisht (center) has realized his dream of working in the aerospace industry.“Since my childhood, I always wanted to be in the aerospace industry, and, when I was in high school, I wanted to be a pilot,” Vashisht said. “Life took me in different directions, but when I saw Kuiper right here in my town, I knew this was my chance to finally work in that field. I thought, ‘Now is the time. If it's happening right next to my home, why shouldn't I do it right now?’”
Unlike many career transitions that require relocation or starting from scratch, Amazon’s investment in employee development meant that Vashisht could build upon his existing technical knowledge while gaining specialized aerospace skills.
“Amazon is the one company I saw where they will invest in you to become something,” Vashisht said. “Nobody else does that. Nobody will say, ‘I will invest 5,000 bucks in you so that you will help us six months later.’”
Building futures, one satellite at a time
The satellite technician certification is now available to all eligible Amazon hourly employees through Career Choice, as well as to members of the general public through LWTech, with new classes starting each quarter.
As Project Kuiper’s manufacturing operations ramp up in Washington, with satellites being shipped to Cape Canaveral for launch, the program continues to create opportunities for employees seeking new technical careers.
For these graduates, the journey represents a chance to join the mission to connect millions of people worldwide.
“This isn’t just about changing jobs,” Finegold said. “When my mom heard I got this position, she cried and hugged me. She said, ‘Now you’re continuing a legacy.’ We're building something that will orbit Earth and make a difference for people who've never had reliable internet before. It’s not just a new job—it’s about becoming part of something bigger than ourselves.”
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