A nearly $5 million grant from Walmart will help more than a thousand young people working retail jobs in Jacksonville gain the skills they need to turn those jobs into careers.
The grant was awarded to the nonprofit organization Generation to launch its Retail Career Advancement program in Jacksonville.
At Wednesday’s announcement, Generation Program Coordinator Alex Rudnick explained the program will provide young adults with free, six-week-long training sessions to help them move out of the entry-level retail jobs they currently hold.
“Middle skill jobs—jobs that are above entry-level and often require supervisory or management-level skills—these jobs are abundant and they’re a stepping stone to a prosperous career,” said Rudnick.
The retail job skills being taught include decision-making and ethics, sales tactics, theft prevention and customer service. “These jobs are crucial to the success of businesses and they provide stable income to employees,” Rudnick said at Wednesday's announcement.
Generation works with young people and employers around the world in the technology, healthcare, retail sales and industrial job sectors.
It’s Technology and Hospitality training programs are already offered in Jacksonville.
Contact reporter Cyd Hoskinson at choskinson@wjct.org, 904-358-6351 or on Twitter @cydwjctnews.
