Walmart has a new way of turning college students into store managers

New York
CNN Business
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Walmart creates a new program to track newly graduated students for store manager positions – paid roles that pay upwards of $ 200,000 a year.
Facing a competitive job market, Walmart is piloting a “College2Career” training program that is open to recent graduates and current students who aim to move them to store managers within two years, the company announced Sunday.
Walmart, the largest private employer in the United States with more than 1.5 million employees, typically promotes store managers within its hourly ranks. Around 75% of Walmart’s salaried store, club and supply chain management started in the company in hourly positions.
But the retailer wants to expand the range of store manager candidates in the midst of a tight labor market.
Walmart hopes the new program, which will provide classroom training, hands-on experience and guidance, will prove attractive to recruits.
At the end of the program, Walmart will offer “top performers” a newly created store manager position – emerging coach – with a starting salary of $ 65,000 a year.
“We see the new coaching role as an additional pipeline to develop talent with high potential for future store managers,” Walmart said in its announcement.
The initiative is available to current Walmart workers, the company said. Around 1000 people will be admitted to the program.
Walmart and rival retailers have launched several initiatives to recruit candidates in recent months, including salary increases and extended benefits.
Walmart said last month that they are increasing the salaries of long-distance truck drivers and have offered to cover 100% of college tuition for the workforce.