Walmart, one of America’s largest employers, is offering its workers a college education for $1 a day, the company recently announced.
The associate’s and bachelor’s degrees in business or supply chain management can be received from three online programs and will be made available for Walmart and Sam’s Club’s 1.4 million part-time, full-time and salaried employees.
“I definitely plan to look into it,” said Debbie Goudeaux, who works at a Walmart in a Houston suburb. “I totally appreciate them doing this. I know a lot of companies already do it, offer education opportunities for their employees, so in a way it is overdue.
“I dropped out of college to work, so maybe this will help me finally finish my degree in business administration,” Goudeaux said.
The University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla., Brandman University in Irvine, Calif., and Bellevue University in Bellevue, Neb., will offer the degrees through online programs. Employees can sign up for the program after working for 90 days with the company.
The retailer said it will cover the cost of tuition, books and fees at three partnering universities as long as employees get their degrees in business or supply-chain management.
The program is intended to improve retention rates and engagement at work while attracting new talent.
