Walmart Is Now Going To Pay 100% Of The College Tuition And Books For Their Employees

Walmart, who has been criticized in the past for paying its employees below-the-poverty-line wages, says it will now pay 100% college tuition and books at a group of select schools for its part-time and full-time associates.

Today, Walmart announced it will pay 100% of college tuition and books for associates through its Live Better U (LBU) education program.
Walmart News Release

In the past, Walmart has made its employees pay $1 a day to take these classes, but as of August 16th, it is dropping this policy. They will now cover college classes at 100%.

This means approximately 1.5 million part-time and full-time Walmart and Sam’s Club associates in the U.S. can earn college degrees or learn trade skills without the burden of education debt.
Walmart News Release

Walmart is committed to paying $1 billion over the next 5 years for its employees to take classes that will either earn them a degree or let them learn trade skills.

Our education offerings tie directly to our growth areas at Walmart, and what better way to fill the pipeline of future talent than with our own associates.
Lorraine Stomski, senior vice president of learning and leadership at Walmart.

Of course, this will only benefit Walmart, as these classes will be career-driven, and only make their employees a stronger labor force.

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.
Lorraine Stomski, senior vice president of learning and leadership at Walmart.

Obviously, the employment climate has changed just a little bit over the last year and a half. Businesses are riding the struggle bus, and having a very hard time hiring and keeping employees.

Businesses across the board are raising pay and boosting benefits in an effort to get and retain employees.

Walmart is among those businesses looking to better the working environment for employees. They are currently looking for “new ways to encourage more associates to pursue further education.”

We’re also excited to add in-demand college degree and certificate options in business administration, supply chain and cybersecurity. These additional offerings join a robust catalog of programs to set associates up for new career opportunities.
Lorraine Stomski, senior vice president of learning and leadership at Walmart.

Along with paying the tuition and books for their employees, Walmart is adding four new schools to their already awesome lineup: Johnson & Wales University, the University of Arizona, the University of Denver, and Pathstream.

So, these are classes and degrees earned through legit universities!

These [new schools] complement the existing partners: Brandman University, Penn Foster, Purdue University Global, Southern New Hampshire University, Wilmington University and Voxy EnGen.
Walmart

This is great news for the Walmart workforce, which has historically been known (at least around here) as the employer that you DON’T want to work for.