The U.S. Department of Labor has recently announced the 5^th annual National Apprenticeship Week, which will take place November 11-17, to showcase the positive impact apprenticeship programs have on addressing the U.S. skills gap and preparing the American workforce for the jobs of today and tomorrow.  In celebration of this, USCIB has been featuring case studies of members making an impact in the re-skilling and re-training the workforce as part of the White House Pledge to America’s Workers.

This week, we’re featuring Walmart, which is empowering its employees with the skills, confidence and the technology they need to serve customers and their own careers—whether they choose to stay in retail or take their skills to a different field.

Walmart is accomplishing this, in part, through the Walmart Academy training program, which has completed more than 800,000 trainings since the academy opened in 2016. When signing the pledge Walmart stated that their commitment would be partly determined by completion of its internal training programs, including the Academy program, which provides focused training for their associates, both hourly and salaried, through classroom and on-the-sales-floor exercises and tailored integration of technology. Walmart provides instructor-led training, web-based training and virtual reality training.

Last year, Walmart introduced Virtual Reality (VR) to the world of employee training and development by using the technology to upgrade training at Walmart Academies nationwide. With the huge success of that program, the company is now providing Oculus VR headsets to all stores in the U.S. to bring the same level of training to its more than 1 million Walmart associates.

Additionally, Walmart launched the Live Better U program, which provides access to debt-free, in-demand college degree and professional certification programs from nonprofit universities in the fields of technology, business, and supply chain management. Associates can earn college credit for training they receive on the job through our Academies. The Live Better U program also provides high school completion at no charge and college prep courses that translate into credit towards a degree. Since the program launched last summer, more than 13,000 associates have been accepted into the program in all 50 states. Within the first year, students had earned more than 30,000 college credits valued at more than $17.5 million.

For more information on Walmart’s pledge, please read this piece written by Walmart’s Executive Vice President of People, Julie Murphy.

See here for other spotlights:

Salesforce, the global leader in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) focused on bringing companies closer to their customers in the digital age.

For the next twelve weeks, USCIB will spotlight case studies of USCIB members making an impact in the re-skilling and re-training the workforce as part of the White House Pledge to America’s Workers. This week, USCIB is celebrating Salesforce, the global leader in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) focused on bringing companies closer to their customers in the digital age.

As part of its ongoing commitment to workforce development, Salesforce pledged earlier this year to train 1 million Americans for the workforce of the future. The company also announced two unique workforce development programs powered by Trailhead, Salesforce’s free online learning platform: the expansion of the Salesforce Pathfinder program and a new Vetforce Alliance to accelerate the hiring of the military community across the country.

Since launching in 2014, Trailhead has been a game changer for more than 1.5 million people looking to learn in-demand skills and jumpstart a career in the digital economy. Through guided, hands-on learning, Trailhead provides reskilling opportunities in artificial intelligence, mobile app development and further skills that empower anyone to earn globally-recognized credentials and fill top roles in an ecosystem set to generate 3.3 million new jobs by 2022.

According to Salesforce, integral to that ecosystem is the vibrant Trailblazer Community. Every day, more than 1.5 million Trailhead learners support and empower each other on the path to new careers. Using Trailblazer Connect, anyone can get started by finding a career fair or online bootcamp, identifying mentors for their career path and sharing resumes with local recruiters.

“A true pioneer, Salesforce is setting an example and showcasing the enormous impact American companies have in building an economy of the future, enabling inclusive growth, and removing barriers to learning,” said USCIB Vice President for Corporate Responsibility and Labor Affairs Gabriella Rigg Herzog.

With a mission to “properly respond to the changing needs in the world of work,” the National Council for the American Worker created a Pledge to America’s Workers, which, in just over a year, has been signed by over 300 companies and organizations and has generated more than 13 million training and education opportunities.

A White House Executive Order established the National Council for the American Worker in July 2018 with a mission to “properly respond to the changing needs in the world of work.” USCIB will be doing a weekly spotlight in the run up to National Apprenticeship Week this fall.