MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) - After 38 years of service with Wal-Mart, Renee Snow completed specialized training in Murfreesboro at the first Training Academy in Middle Tennessee.
Snow started working with the company at its first store in Murfreesboro, located where the Murfreesboro Athletic Club is today.
When the store opened Sam Walton, founder of the company, flew in from Arkansas to see the ribbon cutting, said Snow, who works at the Old Fort Parkway store.
“He would be proud of our accomplishments,” Snow said about what she imagines Walton’s reaction would be to the academies where hourly supervisors and department managers receive two weeks of hands-on training that combines the classroom and the sales floor.
The academies are dedicated facilities located in, or adjacent to, Wal-Mart Supercenters.
Wal-Mart plans to build approximately 200 academies in the U.S. by the end of 2017. Each academy will train associates from approximately 25 nearby stores.
For the Murfreesboro academy, Wal-Mart associates from Nashville, Rutherford County, Shelbyville and beyond will participate in the training.
Wal-Mart has created a new end-to-end training program called Pathways for associates at all levels of store operations, from entry-level to Regional General Manager. Hourly frontline supervisors and department managers will attend a dedicated two-week training program at the academy facility as part of Pathways.
Snow said the training helps department managers and hourly supervisors develop and reinforce customer service skills and what’s needed to run the departments in the store.
The academies are part of Wal-Mart’s $2.7 billion investment in its workers, said Sean Riley, regional general manager for Tennessee and southwest Kentucky.
“It’s a two-week course, centered around processes and standard operating procedures and best practices,” Riley said, adding classes include leadership, merchandising, operations, technology and customer service.
When Riley started as an assistant manager at a Wal-Mart in Florida, he said he was “thrown into it.” The academies will give workers at all levels a better foundation in retail service and Wal-Mart’s company culture.
He said the academies will help workers advance in their careers with Wal-Mart and create a better experience for customers.
Each academy will have its own team of dedicated associates with retail operations experience to lead the training. All academy stores go through a rigorous auditing process to make sure they are able to deliver the teaching, training and development that associates should receive at the academy.
Vanessa Culbreath, who will work as a trainer at the academy at the Wal-Mart on Old Fort Parkway, said she is excited to give her fellow workers the tools they need to be successful at Wal-Mart.
“We will be giving them the skills to do their jobs and to train others,” she said. “It gives me a sense of security to do the job correctly.”
By the time all 200 academies are open, Wal-Mart will train more than 140,000 associates a year.
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Information from: The Daily News Journal, https://www.dnj.com
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