header image

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside
Weather


 
Calendar
Today in
S.C.V. History
December 19
1970 - Snow day in Santa Clarita Valley [photos]
Saugus train station


Walmart opened its first employee training academy Thursday in Los Angeles County at its Santa Clarita store located at 26471 Carl Boyer Drive.

To recognize the grand opening of the new Academy, Walmart held a celebratory event where the program’s inaugural graduating class of 66 associates walked the stage in caps and gowns.

Academies are a dedicated facility located in, or adjacent to, a Walmart Supercenter where hourly supervisors and department managers receive two weeks of hands-on training that combines both the classroom and the sales floor.

“Our training academies help provide associates with the skills they need to succeed and advance, while creating a better and more consistent customer experience,” said Chad Donath, Walmart regional general manager. “Skills training increases productivity, confidence and knowledge, which leads to greater job satisfaction, personal and professional growth, and reinforces why working at Walmart is a smart career choice.”

Walmart has created a new end-to-end training program called Pathways for associates at all levels of store operations, from entry-level to regional general manager. Hourly frontline supervisors and department managers will attend a dedicated two-week training program at the academy facility as part of Pathways.
· The first week is dedicated to retail fundamentals and gaining core retail skills.
· The second week is dedicated to training on the sales floor to gain the knowledge and skills to run the specific department where the associate works.
· Areas of study include leadership, merchandising, operations, technology and customer service, in addition to the department-specific training.
· Academy graduates will have the skills and confidence to run outstanding departments, lead people and deliver a great customer experience.

Walmart plans to build approximately 200 academies in the U.S. by the end of 2017. Each academy will train associates from approximately 25 nearby stores. Benefits include:
· Making training more accessible to more associates. By being closer to where people work and live, associates can be home each night rather than being away from home for two weeks of training.
· Taking associates out of their home store so they can focus solely on training for two weeks while still utilizing a real-life Walmart sales floor as a training environment.
· Training more than 225,000 associates in 2017.

Each academy will have its own team of dedicated associates with retail operations experience to lead the training. All academy stores go through a rigorous auditing process to make sure they are able to deliver the teaching, training and development that associates should receive at the academy.

Comment On This Story
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.

23 Comments

  1. Speed up the cash register folks

    • Mary Bell says:

      And don’t try to stuff everything into one bag when customers are giving you plenty of bags. There is no need to shove 10-20 pounds of groceries into one bag… Especially when the customer has multiple bags for your use. And don’t put chemicals (bleach, toilet bowl cleaner, etc) in with my food please and thank you.

  2. What a crowning achievement

  3. Well if current employees and managers are training them then we are all in trouble….went there to get a Wal-Mart gift card..the cashier had no idea what she was doing….first she tried to add $$ to my credit card…then she charged 3 items to the credit card that didn’t exist…i only was purchasing the gift card…. then when all the extra charges were taken off a manager came to help. After I thought it was all settled I noticed a 58c charge … They said it was a service fee ….there is no service fee for gift cards so they had to take that off my charge….then I asked for an activation confirmation because there was no way I was comfortable the gift card was loaded correctly…no one knew how to do that…. after being there FOREVER I got a confirmation slip. So with the holidays coming up I hope this program will train CURRENT employees and managers how to do gift cards…

  4. Rudy Ten says:

    Love Walmart, but put that aside, This company is EVIL, If they were to all close up the whole world would be better for it.
    Mega Stores like these have (killed) contributed to the down fall of more mom-pop stores and other small business than anything else.
    I have always said “They have a bit of everything, but nothing good of anything”. (just enough to put some locals stores out of business)
    https://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2014/04/15/report-walmart-workers-cost-taxpayers-6-2-billion-in-public-assistance/#20b1366d720b

  5. Just when we thought it couldn’t get any awesomer.

  6. Maria Garcia says:

    Training? They don’t even pay their employees enough.

  7. Dave Bogna says:

    Matthew Lewis were not messing around out here

  8. Alyssa Fall says:

    What a giant waste of taxpayers dollars ??

  9. Will it also be a future FEMA camp ? Just wondering because I heard FEMA was using Walmarts for emergency camps
    And prepping them pretty well . Just wondering

  10. Joe Centeno says:

    Don’t buy Walmart.
    Save small family own business

  11. This is one of the top 5 worst walmarts ever.. What a joke

  12. Desiree Carnevali-Wammack

  13. Nada Quinn says:

    As in, they will “start” training the employees ? they have?
    I have to say they are marginally better than before. I really get annoyed when I ask for help( and yes, already looked in all areas I think an item might be) and I get response
    1) you can “try”..( no, I already tried )
    2) I don’t know ( why don’t you find out- you work here I don’t)
    3) I don’t work in this dept.(great, find someone that does)
    ?‍♀️

  14. joe says:

    Lousy trainers and teachers

Leave a Comment


SCV NewsBreak
LOCAL NEWS HEADLINES
Thursday, Dec 18, 2025
Applications Are Open for the Summer 2026 Lifeguard Season
Do you have a passion for swimming and a desire to make an impact in your community? The city of Santa Clarita is seeking individuals with strong customer service skills and a commitment to community engagement to join its lifeguard team.
Thursday, Dec 18, 2025
Dec. 19: No Burn Day Alert Issued for SCV, South Coast Air Basin
Santa Clarita Valley residents need to put down the yule log and refrain from all residental wood burning fires on Friday, Dec. 19.
Thursday, Dec 18, 2025
Whitesides Announces 2025 Congressional App Challenge SCV Winners
U.S. Rep. George Whitesides (D-Aqua Dulce), announced the winners of the 2025 Congressional App Challenge for California’s 27th Congressional District: the “MathViz” team led by local Academy of the Canyons student, Gautham Korrapati.
Keep Up With Our Facebook

Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
1970 - Snow day in Santa Clarita Valley [photos]
Saugus train station
Do you have a passion for swimming and a desire to make an impact in your community? The city of Santa Clarita is seeking individuals with strong customer service skills and a commitment to community engagement to join its lifeguard team.
Applications Are Open for the Summer 2026 Lifeguard Season
Santa Clarita Valley residents need to put down the yule log and refrain from all residental wood burning fires on Friday, Dec. 19.
Dec. 19: No Burn Day Alert Issued for SCV, South Coast Air Basin
U.S. Rep. George Whitesides (D-Aqua Dulce), announced the winners of the 2025 Congressional App Challenge for California’s 27th Congressional District: the “MathViz” team led by local Academy of the Canyons student, Gautham Korrapati.
Whitesides Announces 2025 Congressional App Challenge SCV Winners
The Mardi Gras Madness 1K/5K/10K, set for March 1, in Santa Clarita, is more than a race, it’s a celebration of health, community and giving back. Now through Wednesday, Dec. 24, take $10 OFF race registration with promo code WINTER10 at checkout.
March 1: JCI Santa Clarita Holds Mardi Gras Madness 1K/5K/10K Runs
Theatre Extempore will present the all time classic musical The Fantasticks, 8-10 p.m. Jan. 9-11. 15-18 at The MAIN.
Jan. 9: Premiere of ‘The Fantasticks’ Presented by Theatre Extempore
West Ranch High School senior Braulio Castillo (17) never did any long-distance running before high school, but what he has accomplished in that demanding discipline since taking it up is impressive. And, so far his senior year, it is phenomenal.
West Ranch Runner Going the Distance
Powerlab Studio will hold its grand opening and ribbon cutting 4:30-5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 8 at 28110 Newhall Ranch Road, Valencia, CA 91355.
Jan 8: Powerlab Studio Grand Opening, Ribbon Cutting
B2 Entertainment will have a Cookies With Santa event, 3-5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 21 at 21516 Golden Triangle Road, Santa Clarita, CA 91350.
Dec. 21: Cookies With Santa at MB2 Entertainment
The College of the Canyons soccer programs will be hosting 'Friday Night Footy,' small-sided pick-up games, running on Friday evenings Jan. 2 through June 26 at the COC Soccer Facility.
Jan. 2-June 26: Cougars Soccer Programs to Host ‘Friday Night Footy’
College of the Canyons sophomore pitcher Nichole Muro will continue her academic and athletic career at Cumberland University after signing with the Phoenix softball program.
Muro Signs with Cumberland University Softball Program
College of the Canyons men's basketball won its fourth straight contest in an 80-72 affair at Napa Valley College on Monday afternoon, Dec. 15 as freshman Julius Washington led all scorers with 20 points.
Cougars Win Fourth Straight 80-72 at Napa Valley
Canyons women's basketball snapped a five-game losing streak with a 60-44 win over Diablo Valley College during the final day of action at the Napa Valley Storm Surge tournament on Saturday, Dec. 13.
Canyons Finishes Tourney Weekend with 60-44 Win Over Diablo Valley
1929 - Swift justice: Thomas Vernon sentenced to life in prison for Saugus train derailment & robbery 1 month earlier [story]
Tom Vernon
The Newhall School District Board of Trustees met on Tuesday, Dec. 16 for its annual organiational meeting.
Newhall School Board Elects Rachelle Haddoak 2026 Board President
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department  Forensic In-Patient Step Down program’s success has led to an annual graduation that not only celebrates the participants for the progress they have made in the program but also acknowledges the department’s commitment to excellence in custody operations. 
LASD Custody Division Honors Inmates on the Path of Recovery and Success
The study of bones from the largest collection of Neandertal remains in Northern Europe has revealed evidence of selective cannibalism targeting Neandertal females and children between 41,000 and 45,000 years ago.
Research by CSUN Prof Finds Neandertal Selective Cannibalism 45,000 Years Ago
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond today announced that registration is open for the second annual School Leadership to End Hate Winter Institute, co-hosted by the California Department of Education and the California Teachers Collaborative for Holocaust and Genocide Education.
State Education Dept. to Address Rising Antisemitism, Hate
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department was awarded a $134,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety
LASD Crime Lab Awarded Grant to Bolster Testing for DUI Cases
Southern California’s iconic Joshua trees are in bloom, and California State University, Northridge’s environmental biologists are asking the public’s help in figuring out why and what it means for the trees’ future.
CSUN Researchers Call for Public’s Help in Documenting Joshua Trees’ Surprise Out-of-Season Bloom
The California Department of Motor Vehicles today issued its decision in the Tesla administrative case, adopting the administrative law judge’s proposed decision
DMV Finds Tesla Violated California State Law With ‘Autopilot’ Terms
Starting January 1, 2026, Santa Clarita Transit is launching Fare Capping, meaning once riders hit the daily or weekly cap, the rest of their local rides are free.
Santa Clarita Transit Launches Fare Capping Beginning January 2026
The University Library at California State University, Northridge has completed the processing and cataloging of the Los Angeles Jewish Federation Community Relations Committee (CRC) Archives, spanning from 1921 to 2000, providing researchers and the public access to one of the most comprehensive archives documenting the Jewish community’s role in combating antisemitism, fascism and discrimination in Southern California and beyond.
CSUN University Library Announces Completion of Jewish Community Archives Processing (1921–2000)
1839 - Judge John F. Powell born in Galway, Ireland [story]
John F. Powell
SCVNews.com