First York Wal-Mart Academy class graduates

It was graduation day at the East York Wal-Mart Supercenter on Thursday.

More than 60 supervisors and associates graduated in the first class of the Wal-Mart Academy, the retailer's new employee training academy. Graduates were greeted by fellow employees, family and cheerleaders from Central York High School.

One of 200 training academies scheduled to open across the country by the end of the year, the academy will train as many as 4,500 associates from 21 Wal-Mart Supercenters in York, Dauphin, Cumberland, Lancaster, Lebanon, Franklin, Chester, Adams and Bedford counties.

The training academies are dedicated facilities where the company’s front-line supervisors will receive hands-on training that combines the classroom and the sales floor. The training will help department managers and hourly supervisors gain core retail skills and the skills and knowledge to run their specific department, according to the company. The academies are part of Wal-Mart’s $2.7 billion associate training program.

"At Wal-Mart, we know our No. 1 asset is our people," Market Manager Bobby Orr said during the graduation ceremony. The new academy will train 90 associates per week.