Our Year 13 geographers had a ‘virtual’ tour of the Amazon Fulfilment Centres in Rugeley, London and Doncaster this week.
The group are studying Trans-National Companies (TNCs) as part of their Geography A-Level and, as they were unable to visit the Rugeley Fulfilment Centre in person due to COVID restrictions, instead they got a comfy in the classroom, stocked up with tea and cookies, and had a virtual tour instead.
The tour was fascinating. Students learned how the company began selling books from the garage of a rented house in Seattle and grew to become the huge global brand that it is today.
The tour guides explained how key innovations, such as the Kindle, Alexa and Amazon Fresh, have enabled the continued growth of the company. They also explained how how AR (Amazon Robotics) and AI (Artificial Intelligence) have revolutionised productivity and also how the company are improving their environmental credentials through the use of solar panels, electric vehicles, recycling and reducing food waste. The tour guides were really helpful and very happy to answer questions.
Matt Allman, Headteacher, said: “All in all, the students came away with an excellent case study and the unique experience of having been for a ride on the Amazon conveyor belts! The Geography course is all about real-life examples to evidence theoretical understanding so the Amazon experience has provided a great context to understand the programme of study, as well as the world of work.”
