Walmart Announces More than $4 Million in Support to the State of Colorado to Empower the Retail Workforce

The funding is Walmart’s first grant to a state government to support
workforce development and will help provide retail advancement
opportunities through training and upskilling

DENVER–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today, Walmart announced more than $4 million in support of the Colorado
Workforce Development Council (CWDC). The grant will allow the CWDC to
partner with local workforce development boards across Colorado to
launch 10 new retail sector partnerships. Through each of these
public-private partnerships, representatives from workforce boards,
economic development and education will work with retail employers in
the community to design upskilling and training programs that support
career advancement for frontline workers and can be a model for
workforce development organizations across the U.S. to follow.

The grant was announced at the Colorado statehouse at an event co-hosted
by Walmart and the CWDC, and included remarks from Governor John
Hickenlooper.

The funding comes at an important time, when there are an estimated five
million unfilled jobs in the U.S., but 24 million frontline workers who
might be able to fill these jobs if given the opportunity to develop
advanced training, according to UpSkill
America. By improving the quality of skills training and increasing
opportunities for advancement, retail jobs can be a powerful engine for
economic mobility.

“Colorado is a leader in creating pathways for workers to develop new
skills that will advance their careers,” said Colorado Governor John
Hickenlooper. “This grant from Walmart creates new retail sector
partnerships which will drive success for workers and businesses.”

This support for the CWDC is part of Walmart and the Walmart
Foundation’s five-year, $100 million Retail Opportunity Initiative, a
philanthropic effort aimed at making it easier for frontline employees
in retail and adjacent sectors to gain new skills and advance in their
careers. To date, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have funded more
than $80 million in grants designed to increase the economic mobility of
retail and related-sector workers.

“Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are committed to empowering lives
and communities by creating pathways for frontline incumbent retail
workers to advance in their careers,” said Julie Gehrki, vice president
of philanthropy at Walmart. “Our support of the Colorado Workforce
Development Council is a further step in our efforts to strengthen the
workforce ecosystem beyond Walmart’s walls through collaboration with
public and private sector leaders.”

The CWDC and sector partnerships will aim to train incumbent workers
through Walmart’s funding, as well as share best practices for building
retail career pathways and upskilling workers through the development of
a “how-to” guide that will be shared statewide. The statewide expansion
builds on the success of the Denver Retail Sector Partnership, convened
by the Denver Office of Economic Development. The industry-led
partnership focused on workforce as a key issue in 2016 and 2017 and
provided skills training, work experience and paid youth
pre-apprenticeships through a previous Walmart grant.

“Public-private partnerships that boost our state’s workforce
development systems are important investments which will benefit not
only Colorado workers, but the American worker,” said Sam Walker,
managing director of the Colorado Workforce Development Council and
executive director of the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.
“With Walmart’s support, we can further build Colorado’s talent pipeline
while developing a playbook for upskilling service sector workers to
scale on a national level.”

Through the Retail Opportunity Initiative, Walmart also recently
announced nearly $4 million in grants to the Foundation for California
Community Colleges, Code for America Labs, Inc. and edX.org to help
provide workers access to education, training and skills to create
innovative pathways for lifelong learning.

For more information on Walmart and the Walmart Foundation’s commitment
to opportunity, please visit https://corporate.walmart.com/opportunity.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and
live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online, and
through their mobile devices. Each week, nearly 265 million customers
and members visit our more than 11,200 stores under 55 banners in 27
countries and eCommerce websites. With fiscal year 2018 revenue of
$500.3 billion, Walmart employs over 2.2 million associates worldwide.
Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate
philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about
Walmart can be found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com,
on Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart
and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmart.

About Philanthropy at Walmart

By using our strengths to help others, Walmart and the Walmart
Foundation create opportunities for people to live better every day.
Walmart has stores in 27 countries, employing more than 2.2 million
associates and doing business with thousands of suppliers who, in turn,
employ millions of people. Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are
helping people live better by accelerating upward job mobility for the
retail workforce; addressing hunger and making healthier, more
sustainably-grown food a reality; and building strong communities where
we operate. We are not only working to tackle key social issues, we are
also collaborating with others to inspire solutions for long-lasting
systemic change. To learn more about Walmart’s giving, visit foundation.walmart.com.

Contacts

Tricia Moriarty, 1-800-331-0085
news.walmart.com/reporter