Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) is transforming warehouse workers into satellite technicians through education partnerships as Washington state emerges as the nation’s commercial space hub.

What Happened: Three of nine March graduates from Lake Washington Institute of Technology’s aerospace manufacturing certificate program were Amazon employees, according to company spokesperson Max Gleber, reported Axios. The programs, developed with Amazon’s input, offer full tuition coverage for eligible Amazon workers through the company’s upskilling initiative.

“Washington state is becoming the Silicon Valley of space, and we want that to continue,” said Brian Huseman, Amazon VP of public policy and community engagement, according to the report. The Redmond-based Project Kuiper satellite internet initiative is betting on local talent to fill its expanding workforce needs.

Dezmond Hernandez exemplifies this transformation. The 24-year-old spent three years in Amazon fulfillment centers earning approximately $15 hourly before transitioning to Project Kuiper.

While working full-time, he completed aerospace courses at LWTech and now operates the company’s space simulation lab in Redmond, testing satellites in vacuum chambers and troubleshooting systems.

“It really is life-changing,” Hernandez told sources last week. “I always had an interest in space, but I never thought I’d be working on satellites.” His salary has more than doubled since the career change.

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Why It Matters: The retraining effort comes as Amazon faces production challenges with Project Kuiper’s satellite constellation. The company must deploy over 1,600 low-Earth orbit satellites by a federal deadline, competing against Elon Musk‘s established Starlink network of more than 7,000 operational satellites.

Amazon has enrolled over 250,000 global employees in upskilling programs since 2012, part of broader workforce development as the company invests heavily in AI infrastructure while announcing potential job cuts in white-collar positions due to automation efficiency gains.

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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