Walmart Brings Academy Training to Consumers
Walmart is expanding its Academy training program to bring virtual courses to consumers.
The Academy program, which the retailer launched in 2016 and previously focused on training and upskilling associates, will now include a Community Academy segment. This free program will provide free virtual classes to anyone, Walmart employee or not, with the intent to provide an introduction to and functional knowledge of a range of topics.
Community Academy classes will include such topics as resume building, interviewing skills, budget and finance, standardized test preparation and navigating college admissions. As of this writing, available classes included House Buying, Car Buying, Budgeting for Beginners and Mobile Devices – Applications for Everyday Life, among others.
Each course falls under one of five themes — Community, Personal Finance, Home, Career Progression and Technology — and are taught by Walmart Academy facilitators.
These classes are offered virtually, with more offerings planned throughout the year.
“With so many communities struggling economically and education sometimes out of reach, we recognized a need that we’re uniquely suited to fill,” said Andy Trainor, Walmart VP of learning, in a statement. “Our goal is to help people invest in themselves, increase upward mobility and create fundamentally stronger communities as a result.
