Walmart brings training hub to Atlanta to boost skilled trades

Retail giant Walmart on Monday said it will bring a training program to Atlanta that helps workers build careers in the skilled trades and possibly earn more money.

Walmart’s “associate to technician” program offers a career path for current workers at no cost, preparing them to work in internal company roles that support its stores and facilities, such as HVAC, refrigeration and electrical systems.

Atlanta will be the fourth training hub in the country, joining other locations in Texas, Florida and Indiana. The training will take place at Tulsa Welding Schoolin DeKalb County.

“When we invest in helping associates build skills, earn credentials and pursue new opportunities, we strengthen our business while creating pathways for people to build lasting careers,” Donna Morris, Walmart’s chief people officer said Monday in a press release.

The expansion comes amid a shortage of tradespeople in the U.S. By 2030, an estimated 2.1 million skilled trades jobs could go unfilled, with economic losses that could mount to $1 trillion annually, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

Walmart aims to train 4,000 associates nationwide through the program by 2030. More than 600 workers have moved into the skilled trades so far, the company said.

Athens resident Robin Medrano is among them. He’s worked more than four years at a Walmart fulfillment center in Pendergrass, about an hour northeast of downtown, where at first he unloaded trailers and packed orders.

Now, he has a higher-paying job as a general maintenance technician. Walmart said Monday it boosted the pay range for these technicians to $26 to $51 per hour.

Medrano said he went through Walmart’s “associate to technician” program earlier this year, spending 12 weeks at Vincennes University in Indiana. He took courses in topics such as hydraulics and electrical applications.