Win Together: How Target Creates Talent Mobility for the Front-Line Workforce

The Next Practices Weekly call series has become a well-attended and wide-ranging discussion for HR leaders each Thursday at 11am ET / 8am PT. On this week's call, we had the pleasure of hearing from Kiera Fernandez, Executive Vice President and Chief Community Impact & Equity Officer at Target. Kiera shared invaluable insights into Target's innovative approaches to enhancing talent mobility for its frontline workforce.

Meeting Highlights:

Before the interview with Fernandez, i4cp Senior Research Analyst, Mollie Lombardi, shared findings from our recent member-exclusive Upskilling Frontline Workers study, which showed that among those expressing the most confidence in their organizations’ ability to mee future workforce skill demands:

  • 88% offer formal internal education programs
  • 73% offer tuition assistance programs
  • 46% offer apprenticeships

A related Target case study conducted in partnership with UpSkill America and the Aspen Institute was also made available to all attendees. The case study, Target Prioritizes Upskilling and Mobility for Frontline Employees, highlights Target’s Dream to Be upskilling and tuition assistance program.

During the interview, Fernandez discussed Target’s groundbreaking initiatives to enhance the skills and career prospects of its frontline employees. Target, a well-known retail brand, has redefined career pathways within its 400,000-person organization, showcasing the positive impact of diversity on business outcomes.

The goal of their upskilling initiative was to drive skills acquisition and career growth through internal collaboration and cultural support. The resulting Dream to Be program has been highly utilized by frontline employees (90% of program participants) to advance their career prospects in both retail service and supply chain areas of Target. The program has led to a 70% decrease in turnover and 3x higher promotions among program participants

Key takeaways from the call:

  • Dream to Be Program: This program is all about helping team members achieve their career dreams through tuition assistance and other resources. It's a big part of how Target is growing and supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • Training Relevance: Target makes sure that the training they offer is spot on with what their team members need and what the company aims to achieve.
  • Guild Partnership: This collaboration boosts the programs available to team members and supports their career growth within the company.
  • Internal Partnerships: Building a culture where growth and mobility are encouraged is key to Target’s strategy.
  • Key Metrics: Target looks at participation rates, career advancement, and overall employee satisfaction and engagement to see how well they're doing.
  • Steadfast Strategy: Even when faced with external challenges, Target stays true to its DE&I strategy, showing how important it is to be persistent and adaptable to reach long-term goals.
  • Values and Mentorship: Kiera emphasized the importance of showing love throughout one’s career, sharing a touching story about her grandfather’s influence on her professional journey.

Kiera's also shared insights on Target’s upskilling initiatives for frontline workers which were earned the brand recognition as a 2024 Next Practices Award winner. Their award-winning case study emphasizes the importance of strategic training programs and internal collaboration in driving successful talent development. You can read the full case study here (members only). 

Links to resources shared on the call:

Due to technical difficulties, a recording for this Next Practices Weekly session is unavailable. We apologize for any inconvenience.