Walmart Opens Training Academy at Santa Clarita Store

The Santa Clarita location of Walmart will host the mega-retailer’s first employee training academy in Los Angeles County, the company has announced. Walmart officials held a grand opening ceremony Thursday featuring 66 recent graduates of its retail training program to honor the occasion. “Skills training increases productivity, confidence and knowledge, which leads to greater job satisfaction, personal and professional growth,” Chad Donath, Walmart regional general manager, said in a statement. “(It) reinforces why working at Walmart is a smart career choice.” Walmart training academies are located in dedicated facilities on the site of the company’s “Supercenter” retail stores. Store employees from every level of operations, from entry-level associates to regional general managers, take part in a two-week training program called Pathways, which emphasizes customer service skills, merchandising and leadership. Like all Walmart training academies, employees from as many as 25 surrounding store locations will take part in the programs at the Santa Clarita site. The Bentonville, Ark.-based company anticipates building 200 training academies in the U.S. by the end of the year.