Airport Experience® News - ACDBE & Small Business Issue 2024

rush home to take care of children so that another family member could work or go to school,” or, were recent arrivals to the US without access to tuition financial aid. The Airport University program allows airport employees to take up to two free on-site college courses. Classes range in everything from computer technology, communication, maintenance, mechanics and air traffic control, piloting and airline dispatch to hospitality and customer service through university partners Highline College , South Seattle College, North Seattle College and Green River College . SEA carrier Alaska Airlines also provides support to the program, having contributed more than $500,000 in scholarships for employees seeking additional airport operations training. University partners believe that SEA-Tac’s program is an effective and financially accessible way for airport employees to explore - and begin - new careers within the airport industry. “By providing individuals working at SEA-Tac airport the opportunity to take Highline College courses in fields such as hospitality and tourism, business management, IT/cybersecurity and criminal justice, Airport University

helps open up career pathways to career advancement beyond the runways, baggage claim, retail spaces and ticket counters,” says Josh Gerstman, vice president of institutional advancement Highline College. “While all these are necessary jobs for airport operation, opportunities to grow and advance creates cycles of economic mobility at the airport and beyond.” At South Seattle College, “our goal is to meet our community members where they are to start the path toward a higher education and family-supporting careers,” says university lead Ty Swenson. “Through this partnership with the Port of Seattle and Port Jobs, we are creating real access for entry-level airport workers to take part in our aviation maintenance technology program and pursue their career goals.” Worthley notes that Airport University graduates have gone on to pursue a wide variety of airport positions and that the program’s training has cleared a path for current employees to earn more. “One of the young people in the logistics pathway started at SEA as a ramp agent, then became a ramp lead, advanced to a training specialist, gate coordinator, performance manager, duty manager and

Creating Airport University Other airports have partnered with local universities to provide continuing education for employees. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) - now home to an in-house college credit program - first looked into providing staff with additional training after 9/11, says Heather Worthley, executive director of Port Jobs at SEA. “Many of the existing security screeners at SEA needed help to build their English language and test-taking skills to pass the new TSA computerized job application process,” says Worthley of SEA’s decision to provide employees with specialized on-site language and digital literacy classes. “We saw, through this effort, that by convening key partners and providing training onsite at the airport where people work, we could help people advance in their careers,” adds Worthley. “This was the first seed of an idea that became Airport University.” The idea inspired SEA to look for ways to make continuing education classes financially accessible to other airport employees. “Most entry-level airport workers did not have the financial resources or time to go to school full-time,” says Worthley. “Many had two jobs, and some needed to

Left: Texas Southern University and Houston’s Ellington Airport have launched TSU Flight Academy, which gives students the opportunity for hands-on aeronautical education.

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AX NEWS JULY/AUGUST 2024