Walmart in a Funding First

Walmart announced it will invest more than $4 million in funding to the Colorado Workforce Development Council (CWDC) to support workforce development and help offer retail advancement to employees through training and upskilling, reports Chain Store Age . Through the grant, the CWDC will be able to partner with local workforce development boards across the state and launch 10 new retail sector alliances. Representatives from workforce boards, economic development, and education will collaborate with community retail employers to design upskilling and training initiatives for frontline workers, which could serve as a template for workforce development organizations across the United States. The grant is part of Walmart and the Walmart Foundation's five-year, $100 million Retail Opportunity Initiative, which has thus far funded more than $80 million in grants to boost the economic mobility of retail and related-sector workers. The CWDC and sector partnerships will seek to train incumbent workers via the grant, and share best practices for building retail career pathways and upskilling employees by developing a "how-to" guide to be distributed across Colorado.