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Walmart is introducing additional programs for its employees to earn a bachelor's degree or career diploma for $1 a day. The retail giant offers seven bachelor's and two career diplomas in health and wellness-related fields through its Live Better U program. Walmart officials hope that Live Better U will provide employees with a route to higher-paying jobs and more opportunities in a growing field.
The expansion of the existing program offers students credentials in health-related fields from Penn Foster Career School, Purdue Global, Southern New Hampshire University, Bellevue University and Wilmington University. Career diplomas will be offered for opticians and pharmacy technicians through Penn Foster.
Walmart (and its affiliate Sam's Club) employs 1.5 million associates who could be eligible for program. About 13,500 employees are currently enrolled in Live Better U, according to Walmart. The company's goal is for enrollment in the program to top 50,000 in five years.
During a call with reporters, Walmart said it plans to expand into mental health education, perhaps as early as next year. This June, Walmart announced it was expanding a debt-free college tuition benefit for 14 degrees and certificates in technology fields, in addition to ones they began offering in business and management in 2018. The company partners with the intermediary online education platform Guild Education.
Walmart subsidizes the costs of tuition, books and fees for its employees. And the company has noticed an uptick in job applications after announcing its education benefits for employees.
