Walmart, the largest U.S. private employer, on Tuesday announcedit will pay 100% of college tuition and books for its employees.
Starting August 16 around 1.5 million part-time and full-time Walmart and Sam’s Club associates in the U.S. will be able to earn college degrees or learn trade skills completely debt free.
Walmart is committing to an investment of nearly $1 billion over the next five years in career training and development.
"We are creating a path of opportunity for our associates to grow their careers at Walmart, so they can continue to build better lives for themselves and their families," said Lorraine Stomski, Senior Vice President of Learning and Leadership at Walmart. "This investment is another way we can support our associates to pursue their passion and purpose while removing the barriers that too often keep adult working learners from obtaining degrees."
Additionally, Walmart said it will add four academic partners, including Johnson & Wales University, the University of Arizona, the University of Denver and Pathstream. These added to their existing partners: Brandman University, Penn Foster, Purdue University Global, Southern New Hampshire University, Wilmington University and Voxy EnGen.
