Walmart has selected Springboard to offer its industry-leading upskilling and reskilling programs through the retailer’s Live Better U™ education benefit program, which will cover 100% of tuition costs for its employees.
Through this partnership, Springboard will offer data analytics, software development, and data-driven strategic thinking courses to part-time and full-time employees of Walmart and Sam’s Club to empower them with in-demand digital skills for career success.
Programs will be offered through Springboard for Business, focusing on developing employees at Fortune 500 companies.
Companies are struggling to hire skilled professionals to keep pace with technological innovations while finding ways to upskill or reskill their existing employees. The digital skills shortage is nothing new, but its effects compound with the introduction of generative AI tools like ChatGPT and the push toward automation. According to the World Economic Forum, this could lead to 85 million unfilled jobs by 2030, equating to $8.5 trillion in lost economic activity.
Despite being the world’s second-largest retailer behind Amazon, Walmart struggles with a digital skills shortage. There are nearly 3,000 data science and analytics job openings Walmart is looking to fill. Unfilled positions lead to lost productivity. In 2022, 71% of CEOs predicted the skills shortage would be the biggest business disrupter.
The Springboard x Walmart programs are approximately 14 months long, and associates will receive a career certificate as well as practical experience and guidance in solving real-world problems through company-specific projects.
“Walmart is a leader in career-driven development, and we are thrilled to partner with them to deliver high-quality education to their associates,” says Gautam Tambay, CEO and co-founder of Springboard. “Walmart and Springboard are both committed to ensuring that non-traditional students, regardless of their background, can build in-demand skill sets — helping them find new career paths, grow their earnings, and increase their economic security.”
What digital skills will be taught in these courses?
The Springboard courses offered through Walmart’s LBU program have been specially developed to address the enterprise skills gap as companies undergo digital transformation. These cohort-based, human-guided programs combine 1-on-1 mentorship with live and instructor-led sessions.
- Data Analytics focuses on technical data skills, including connecting data in SQL and visualizing data using Python, paired with critical problem-solving and communication skills that transform data into performance-driven results.
- Software Development covers key aspects of front-end development, including HTML, CSS, and Javascript, while applying skills to real-world, self-designed projects for a standout portfolio.
- Data-Driven Strategic Thinking has been uniquely developed for large enterprise partners. It covers data literacy, strategic thinking, and influential communication skills, so graduates can solve business problems faster with long-term, data-driven nimbleness.
By acquiring in-demand technical skills, Walmart employees can find new career paths, grow their earnings, and increase their financial security.
Why was it important for Springboard to partner with companies like Walmart?
Springboard’s mission is to transform one million lives through education by 2030. This partnership and others like it will help us accelerate and extend that impact, which is particularly important in the current economic climate.
Who is eligible for the program?
Over 1.5 million Walmart and Sam’s Club frontline associates in the US are eligible for the Live Better U™ program from day one of their employment. Those interested in signing up for the program do not need previous industry or academic experience to enroll.
Where can Walmart & Sam’s Club associates sign up?
Eligible employees interested in signing up can go to livebetteru.com.
