Walmart Opens Training Academy in Distribution Center

SANGER, Texas—Walmart’s first training academy in a distribution center has opened in Sanger, Texas, north of Dallas, and the first group of 50 managers graduated last week, according to the Dallas Morning News.

The company has been training store employees in 200 regional academies but will open training facilities in company distribution centers. The objective is to train supervisors, who are on the front line, in areas such as leadership, safety and supply chain. Courses in technology and other functions will be added in the future.

“We started this concept of investing in our employees about three years ago, and we’ve seen success with it,” said Steve Miller, vice president of supply chain for Walmart. “The needs of our associates in supply chain are evolving, and we want to set them up for success. Skills needed today are different than 15 or 20 years ago, and as we recruit them, we want them to have fulfilling jobs.”

Walmart is the largest non-military supply chain operation in the world. Most of the company’s distribution centers are much like the Sanger facility, a general merchandise warehouse with 1.2 million square feet that supplies 140 Walmart stores and Sam’s Clubs. The center employees 945 people who are supervised by dozens of merchandise and category managers. The Sanger Academy will train employees from 15 distribution centers in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. Eventually, Walmart will have 10 academies, each serving about 15 distribution centers.

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