Walmart Inc. has stepped up its efforts to entice college graduates by unveiling a fast track to jobs as store managers—positions that typically pay more than $200,000 a year and have traditionally taken years to reach. A new ‘College2Career program’ will provide classroom training, hands-on experience, and mentoring for recent and soon-to-be graduates, Walmart said in a statement Sunday, May 15th.
Top performers will be offered a newly created management role as an ’emerging coach,’ which provides a starting compensation package of at least $65,000 a year and an accelerated path to becoming a store manager. “We see the emerging coach role as an additional pipeline to develop high-potential talent into future store managers, the latter role with an average wage of approximately $210,000 in 2021,” the company said. “With College2Career, we aim to move emerging coaches to store managers within two years.”
The program has highlighted a sense of urgency as Walmart seeks to bolster the supply of managers for its more than 4,700 U.S. stores amid a tight labor market. Those aren’t the only jobs the company is pushing to fill: It recently boosted starting pay for its truckers by as much as $110,000. And like other retailers, Walmart has been raising wages and adding educational and training opportunities in recent years.
