690 - Walmart Lifelong Learning Program
September 30, 2011 Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - September 30, 2011.
#690 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
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1. Walmart Lifelong Learning - Support for Associates to College.
2. Energy Drinks for Breaks???
1. Walmart Lifelong Learning - Support for Associates to College: Walmart, as one of the world’s largest employers, has recently made a significant commitment to Lifelong Learning for their associates. Walmart’s Lifelong Learning Program will make it more convenient and more affordable for their associates to attend college while also working at the company. Through a partnership with American Public University (APU), associates will be eligible for college credit for their formal training and job experience at Walmart. The partnership will put associates on a faster track to earning a college degree, reduce their length of time in school and make the overall cost more affordable.
I reached out to Brian Poland, Senior Director Talent Development, Walmart Stores to design a session about their unique program for Learning 2011:
Walmart’s Lifelong Learning Program: The Intersection of Corporate Ed & Higher Ed
Brian Poland, Director of Walmart Lifelong Learning, Walmart Stores
“At Walmart, we know better than anybody that talent and hard work will take you a long way, but education is the single biggest competitive advantage we can give our people in the 21st century. While a degree is not a guarantee of advancement, it has been the path to a better and more fulfilling life for generations of Americans. Over the past year, we’ve been developing a new education partnership that will help our associates learn, not just for Walmart, but for life. We will discuss lessons learned since our “grand opening” of the Lifelong Learning program. Our session at Learning 2011 will address:
* How lifelong learning enhances your talent pipeline; building a competency-aligned model to maximize business impact and enable college credit for job learning.
* Impact on internal instructional design and LMS design.
* Effectively communicating to 1.4 million associates and leaders.”
I was part of a national group of learning advisers working with Walmart as they designed this program and it was inspirational to see their commitment to talent development, not just for their organization, but for the life futures of their associates.
More information on this session and links to details about the Walmart efforts at http://www.learning2011.com/477-Walmart-Lifelong-Learning.htm
2. Energy Drinks for Breaks??? Perhaps this is a generational reaction, but the other day I was at a Conference Center presenting an Executive Program, and during the afternoon break, there were rows of “5 Hour Energy” drink. These small bottles, containing a load of vitamins and supplements, were pretty strange to me. Yet, several participants reached for one and drank it in a few gulps. Maybe there is no difference than my large cup of caffeine-filled java, but it did stop me in my tracks. Wonder if any TRENDS readers have seen these types of drinks included in seminar refreshment offerings. Send me an email to emasie@masie.com
Yours in Learning,
Elliott Masie.
email: emasie@masie.com
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