Walmart is training current employees for electrical, mechanical, and HVAC roles to combat a shrinking pool of skilled tradespeople. Photo from Zack Yeo, Unsplash.

News Release

BENTONVILLE, ARK. — As labor shortages intensify across the skilled trades, Walmart is expanding internal training efforts to build a pipeline of maintenance technicians critical to keeping its vast retail and distribution network operating.

The program launched in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and has since expanded to Vincennes and Jacksonville, Fla.

Walmart’s initiative focuses on tuition-free training for existing employees, combining classroom instruction with hands-on experience in fields such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning, electrical systems and equipment repair.

As of mid-November, nearly 400 employees had completed the training, with all graduates from the initial pilot class securing technician roles. Walmart said those positions place workers on a path to earn an average of $32 an hour, and the company aims to train 4,000 employees by 2030.

The country’s biggest private employer revamped its technician training program in 2024 to address a shrinking pool of workers capable of performing electrical, mechanical and general maintenance work. The shortages are driven by a wave of retirements, reduced immigration since the pandemic and rising demand for skilled labor, according to economists and workforce analysts. Other companies are also investing in workforce development. Lowe’s has launched training programs and funded technical schools and nonprofit organizations to support trade education.

For Walmart, maintenance technicians are especially vital during peak shopping periods, when equipment failures can result in significant losses. Company officials say building skills internally helps reduce downtime, protect inventory and offer employees stable, higher-paying career paths amid a tightening labor market.