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BOSTON — Penn Foster announced Wednesday that its unique upskilling platform for health care has been selected by Walmart as part of an ambitious initiative designed to prepare workers for opportunities in high-demand health professional fields. A pioneer in middle-skills training, Penn Foster’s digital platform enables employers to deliver on-demand, career-specific coursework through a blended online and work-based learning skills development program. Created in partnership with Guild Education, who works with Walmart to administer their Live Better You program, Walmart’s 1.5 million associates in the U.S. will now be able pursue roles as opticians or pharmacy technicians through a flexible, online curriculum that costs learners just $1 per day.
“As the largest private employer in the U.S., Walmart aims to be the market leader in providing retail workers a path to careers in growing fields like health care,” said Ellie Bertani, senior director of learning strategy and innovation at Walmart. “We are thrilled to work with Penn Foster to provide thousands of our associates the opportunity to earn credentials in this field.”
Penn Foster’s upskilling platform for healthcare was designed in response to growing demand from hospital systems and health care employers. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, health care remains the nation’s fastest-growing industry, with nearly 2 million new healthcare jobs expected by 2028. Although allied health positions, including pharmacy technicians, rarely require a college degree, they can be among the most challenging for employers to fill.
Penn Foster’s Healthcare Academy offers programs that prepare workers for the most in-demand roles. Its optician and pharmacy technician programs, available to all Walmart associates not currently in these positions, were developed specifically to meet the needs of working learners and include an online, self-paced curriculum, Success Coaching, and goal tracking.
“This new program reflects Walmart’s commitment to investing in its people — in ways that create paths to higher-paying roles, but also accelerate economic mobility for their employees over the long term,” said Dara Warn, chief outcomes officer at Penn Foster.
