By Amazon Opens Its Doors to ‘Mesmerised’ Business Students
Thirty five Tollbar MAT Sixth Form College Business Studies students were privileged to visit one of Amazon’s three Fulfilment Centres in Doncaster to experience the day-to-day reality of its immense operation.
Tollbar was the first college to be allowed access to the Doncaster facility back in 2016, leading the way for the Fulfilment Centre to become a venue for educational visits and other tours. Tollbar students have since visited the centre four times.
Amazon has been an important case study for the current Year 13 students throughout their two years of study. Their visit helped to bring to life many of the business, concepts, models and theories taught, such as inventory management, lean production, flexible workforce, quality assurance and operational efficiency.
Students were given a briefing about the Doncaster operation, the Amazon business model and its global network. They then took a tour of the facility, taking in the key operational processes of inbound, pick, pack, sort, and outbound, and viewing the incredible automated systems that help to process the tens of thousands of products that pass through the centre daily.
After the tour, they were excited to take part in a Q&A with the facility’s General Manager, Stuart Morgan.
Student Chris Fawcett said: “The whole place is mesmerising. It’s amazing to see how much money has been invested in equipment to ensure the efficiency of the whole operation.”
Ewan Freeland added: “It’s been a great day, I feel I’ve got so much information that I could apply to any exam question that I might face in a few weeks time. The tour has been invaluable.”
Simon Grimshaw, Curriculum Leader for Business Studies at the College, said: “The students were really invigorated to have visited the centre, with many appreciating seeing their studies come to life in such an impressive setting. We are very grateful to Amazon for opening up its operation to our students.”
