Strategic HR – Developing an Effective Airport Training Strategy

"Let’s stop looking at training," said a resolute Kevin Caron at the Strategic HR – Developing an Effective Airport Training Strategy session. Might seem like an odd way to address a room full of people waiting to hear about how they can improve the training strategies at their organization. But, alternate wording soon followed, and it began to make sense. "Let’s see it as learning and development," added the Head of Global Training and DNA at ACI World. Then, came the questions. What skillsets do we need in the future? And, more importantly, how many have a learning and development plan.

Just like a master plan, a learning and development plan is a necessity. "It is an investment, not a cost," said Caron. At Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, a development plan is even required in all departments, said Gale LaRoche, Vice President of Human Resources. Part of their reasoning is they "want interns to have meaningful experiences with us, not just running for coffee." This requirement is just one of many that Detroit rolled out after an FAA audit revealed they needed a unified training system. Now they have performance incentives for about 85% of their workforce, development training, a Critical Leadership Academy, a Unified Talent Management program, Beyond the Job planning, and a Talent Pipeline. "Almost 100% of our employees participate (in the Talent Pipeline), though it was a slow go at first," said LaRouche.

"Developing employees has become a fundamental part of most of our businesses," said moderator Thella Bowens, President and CEO, San Diego County Airport Authority. The simple reason? "Unqualified and poorly trained employees equate to organization failure." But, how do you find the leaders in your midst – without the "help" of a crisis? "And how do you develop high potential talent that may exist in your organization?" asked Zack Deming, Principal, Korn Ferry.

"Intentional development is critical," said Deming. "There is no substitute for experience." The leadership development process he recommended was DIVA – Diverse, Intense, Varied and Adverse.

Roelof-Jan Steenstra, CEO of Fort McMurray International Airport, suggested something along those lines, but in the accreditation arena. The AAE (Accredited Airport Executive – North America) and IAP (International Airport Professional) designations were the ones he was referencing. "I absolutely believe they are worth the time and effort to complete." The pursuit of a designation comes back to lifelong learning, he explained. Mentoring and learning should happen at all levels of an organization, and with all ages. "If you want career stability, keep on learning!"