Walmart Inc. of Bentonville said Tuesday that it will pay full tuition and buy books for employees taking part in its Live Better U education program, removing the dollar-a-day fee for participants effective Aug. 16.
Through the program, Walmart and Sam’s Club’s 1.5 million part- and full-time employees can obtain degrees and other training from the retailer’s academic partners. Since the program began in 2018, more than 52,000 employees have participated and 8,000 have graduated, the company said.
Walmart said it’s removing the daily fee because of the changing economy and job market. The company said it will invest nearly $1 billion over the next five years in career-driven training and development.
“We are creating a path of opportunity for our associates to grow their careers at Walmart, so they can continue to build better lives for themselves and their families,” Lorraine Stomski, senior vice president of learning and leadership, said in a news release.
“We’re also excited to add in-demand college degree and certificate options in business administration, supply chain and cybersecurity. These additional offerings join a robust catalog of programs to set associates up for new career opportunities,” Stomski continued. “Our education offerings tie directly to our growth areas at Walmart, and what better way to fill the pipeline of future talent than with our own associates.”
Walmart is also adding four academic partners to the program: Johnson & Wales University of Providence, Rhode Island; the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona; the University of Denver; and Pathstream of San Francisco, an online learning platform that teaches in-demand technology skills.
The company’s other partners are Brandman University of Irvine, California; Penn Foster College of Scottsdale, Arizona; Purdue University Global of West Lafayette, Indiana; Southern New Hampshire University of Manchester, New Hampshire; Wilmington University of New Castle, Delaware; and Voxy EnGen of Bethesda, Maryland.
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