Walmart launches management training program

Walmart, the country’s largest private employer, on Friday announced the launch of Manager Academy, a weeklong training program focused on instilling the retail giant’s “culture and values.”

This year, more than 2,000 Walmart store managers are expected to participate in the program, which takes place at the company’s headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas. After the training session, managers will take part in a six-month mentoring program with managers who have previously completed the Academy.

More than 600 store managers have finished the training program since the pilot launched last year, Walmart said.

“The training was so beneficial to our new managers that we decided to bring all of our store managers through the training,” Walmart SVP of Learning and Leadership Lorraine Stomski said in a statement. “This includes some who have been in the role for decades to brush up on their leadership skills and help mentor the newer managers.”

The program is funded through Walmart’s previously announced $1 billion investment to provide career training and development to employees through 2026. That investment also includes full payment of college tuition and books for all part- and full-time workers through Walmart’s Live Better U education program.

The Manager Academy will help store-level managers lead hundreds of workers through a better understanding of Walmart’s values and culture, learning how to lead with empathy and focus on worker well-being, working on customer and community engagement, and embracing change while leading with a “change mindset,” Stomski said.

“With more than 75% of our managers promoted from within, we know many have the retail knowledge and customer service skills to do the job of a store manager successfully,” she said. “What they’re seeking is additional training around leadership and managing teams.”

Store managers will also work on case studies about leading store operations, network with senior leaders, tour stores with the latest technology, and further their understanding of employee growth and well-being, Walmart noted.

“Manager Academy completely changed my way of thinking,” Jennifer Bennett, a Walmart store manager in Lebanon, Virginia, said in a statement. “If you take care of the people, they’ll take care of the customer. Teach and grow your people, and they will take care of any challenge.”