Port Jobs staff
	Judi Johnson, ESL instructor with South Seattle Community College (left), assists Besrat Giday (right) with security badge test preparation. Giday received SIDA & AOA preparation, passed both tests and was hired by AirServ as a Cabin Cleaning Agent.

Job seekers aren’t the only ones who find the test prep program useful. Employers are saving time and money by using it to pre-screen staff for hiring or promotion before investing in training or education.

The program is also helping enhance airport security by improving employee understanding of airport security rules.

Tests can present a challenge

The exam (called the Security Identification Display Area, or SIDA test) is easy for native English speakers, but can be challenging for non-native speakers. 

Earlier this year, one employer reported that eight applicants hired to fulfill a contract failed the security badge test three times, meaning they couldn’t get security badges needed to start work. 

The applicants missed out on the job, and the employer had serious difficulty fulfilling its contract due to the last-minute nature of the test failures. 

With an increasing number of airport positions being filled by immigrants and refugees from the Sea-Tac area, Airport Jobs staff worked with the Sea-Tac Airport Security Director, the Airport Training Center, and SSCC English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) Instructors to craft a program to help job-seekers and employers alike. 

SIDA prep makes a difference

Today, the SIDA Prep course offers lessons in vocabulary, basic computer use, test-taking tips, and the opportunity to practice generic testing on computers. 

Students meet with a certified ESL Instructor from SSCC for an evaluation. A lesson program is developed to fit the student’s individual needs.

Judi Johnson, an Instructor who helped develop the course curriculum, notes, “Sometimes just an hour of tutoring makes the difference between passing or not passing the test.”

Few people have seen the benefits of SIDA test prep course as clearly as Rae Stacy and Joseph Lee, who help administer the test at Sea-Tac. 
“Before [SIDA prep] was available, many more people failed,” says Stacy. “Their frustration level was higher – some were close to tears. Since we’ve been able to refer them, when they come back and pass, they’re ecstatic.” 

Lee agrees, adding, “They are joyful and excited to go to work. It sets a better tone for their jobs – it tells them there are people who care, and people who will help.”

Employers pleased 

Participants who successfully complete the test prep course receive a letter from the Airport Jobs office certifying they have completed the training. Employers can be assured candidates with this letter are well prepared for security badge tests. 

The experience of one employer, AirServ, is typical of others. With Airport Jobs as their main source of candidates, AirServ hired nearly 40 cabin cleaners and several lead positions to fulfill their new contract to provide aircraft cleaning services for United Airlines. 

“We referred six new hires who did not speak English as their first language to prepare them for testing,” says Brian Ferguson, HR Manager for AirServ at Sea-Tac.

“These individuals worked with instructors for a relatively short time, and all six were then able to pass the test. The quick assistance made it possible to put all the individuals we hired to work.”

Success leads to expansion

Test prep has been expanded to include the airfield driving (AOA) test. In addition, some job seekers are taking the courses in advance, and using their letter of completion they receive to enhance their applications. 
Community-based organizations can also arrange for their non-native English speaking job-seekers to take the course in advance of applying for work.

Contact Ruth Westerbeck at the Airport Jobs office (206-835-7506) for further information.