When I worked in store operations back in 2016 I was assigned to attend and was required to graduate from the Walmart Academy to qualify for a promotion. It sounded odd! I thought to myself: “Wait a minute! I have a Bachelor’s degree in visual communications, a whole bunch of certificates and a great resume, why do I have to graduate from this place called Walmart Academy?”
What is Walmart Academy?
Walmart following the great legacy of Sam Walton practices the importance of Hands-on training. This opens doors to talents and gives them endless opportunities to try new things. We don’t know what our capabilities are until someone asks us to do something that we have never done before and so we get trained, try, succeed and become a master and then become a training sponsor. How fun!
At Walmart, most of our field positions need very basic qualifications to join but then we will teach you how to succeed in your role. Basically, we will teach you how to do your job and we will provide resources, training sponsors and test you to see if you know your role. We do need you to study well but retail is not Rocket Science yet it is more Details. This is part of the “Setting the Associates Up for Success” policy however there is a lot that goes into it.
Walmart Academy training is from A to Z. It is a mission to help you be a better version of you whether you decide to stay or to take a different path:
- If you decide to stay with Walmart -> there is always more for you!
- If you decide to leave the company -> you will exit as a much more refined and skilled person compared to when you joined.
Either way, Walmart helps you grow. We work hard to retain Internal Talent but you have to do your part too: (1) work with due diligence (2) show up prepared (3) have integrity and (4) be a great team player.
Walmart Academy courses have a series of interpersonal, behavioral, technical (job specific) and business-related classes that are tied to compliance and legal aspects of everything we do. This gets more advance for the leadership teams and for individuals in executive roles. They have a whole lot more to study and implement and it is all for the good. Also, we provide external training too. Walmart has great partnerships with top universities and institutions around the country for your advancement.
Why Graduate from the Walmart Academy?
Walmart has the highest level of workplace standards. We are the biggest company in the world and so goes for our standards. This is reflected and is connected directly to our “Annual Evaluations”. Those of you within the company know what I am talking about. Annual evaluations happen each year and examines your competencies and rewards you on your outstanding accomplishments of the past 12 months. Annual evaluations are somewhat complicated, there are so many categories that you get evaluated on and you have to prove that you have delivered and grew significantly as a person and as an associate. You have to prove that you are aligned with the business needs. This is hard, this is what makes our workplace competitive.
Walmart to employees is like that concerned basketball coach to the athletes that pushes them to focus and perform better. I love that! I would have never got these many certificates if it wasn’t for the push to grow.
If you go through the Walmart Academy you will take the shortcut to success!
How Do You Become Better?
Feedback: besides receiving great training at Walmart, we have the culture of giving feedback to one another. It is often practiced that we schedule quick 1:1s to help each other. We build a lot of trust in that process and it is a proven method that helps you see yourself from a different perspective. It helps you build on your strengths and work on your weaknesses. It is part of “A Great Workplace” and “This is That Place” HR strategy.
Upskilling: Walmart leaders are great with building teams that have a wide set of skills, this gives you a chance to learn from everyone on the team. I am almost learning a new skill every other week, sounds too much? Not when your peer is teaching you. Personal example: I use a lot of Adobe Illustrator on my job and there are new features that I learn from my colleague who is a master in .ai and I get to upskill him on AEM where I am a master in that space.
In the past two years, the Walmart Academy has expanded its wings for both field and corporate employees and has established a series of Academies. We train, prepare, set expectations and examine you based on your job and current needs. We help you start studying what you need for your future career. There are no limits as long as you are doing great and acting responsibly in your current role and all the doors are open for your success.
Finally, when I graduated from the Walmart Academy in market 269 of northern Illinois, I walked out with a fresh set of eyes and I promised to never stop learning no matter how many honorable degrees and certificates I have under my belt. We call it “Lifelong Learning”.
I enjoy watching people grow through our programs, it is so rewarding. If you have questions, please reach out.
Ps: To all the store associates: Stay encouraged, your future is so bright!
Thank you!
- Lily
