A young apprentice from Beckton has told how his role is a “fantastic alternative to university”.

Jake Peters, 21, started working as an apprentice in IT infrastructure at Amazon’s UK head office in Shoreditch last year.

He will spend three years working towards a qualification which will see him become an IT technician, and is full of praise for the scheme.

“A great thing about the programme is that every day here varies widely,” Jake said.

“My department provides IT support and that covers anything from simple password changes to highly detailed networking tasks.

“My main role is to keep all of our systems online.”

Jake’s apprenticeship features a mixture of theory and work-based training.

“I really enjoy the integration of day-to-day work in the office and modules we study in the classroom,” he said.

“For me, it’s a great mix of training and on-the-job experience. Every day is different and that’s really rewarding.”

Jake said that he was encouraged to apply for an apprenticeship at Amazon after his sister saw an advert and suggested it to him.

“I’ve always had a natural interest in IT,” he said.

“I have a friend that I’ve played online games with for 13 or 14 years and he said I should consider a career in IT because he thought I was good at it.

“I originally studied film production which told me that I was creatively wired but I’ve always had a technical twist.

“Some years ago, I did flirt with the idea of getting involved in the gaming industry and that interest led me to where I am today.”

He has used National Apprenticeship Week, which runs from Monday, March 4 to Friday, March 8, to encourage others to follow in his footsteps.

Jake said: “I’ve realised that apprenticeships are a great way to develop people personally and professionally and they should not be stigmatised, which I feel they sometimes are.

“Apprenticeships are a fantastic alternative to university. By learning on the job, you’re more committed to your development and that can only be a good thing.”