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Students give Airport University high marks
“My family is proud of me. And my coworkers are asking me, ‘How do I get to take those classes?’”

Port Jobs Reports, Fall 2005/Winter 2006



	Proud graduates (and instructor) of the Leadership for Leads class. Left to right, back to front: Cynthia Kluth, Brenda Hall (SSCC Instructor), Thaun Lem, Rosalina Weaver, Taualai Tuiletufuga.

Students completing the first Leadership for Leads class at Airport University roundly praised the course, noting how the combination of job training and college credit benefits their employers and advances their own careers.

One student said, “To have your employer say ‘yes, you can go to this class’ means everything. I think they will see it pays off.”

The Leadership for Leads course started this September and concluded in November. It covers basic supervision and management theory, tailored to ground service company team ‘Leads’.

Students value the class highly. One noted: “I have more skills and frankly I feel more connected to the job because I feel I am moving ahead. Even if I don’t [move up] right away, I know I will be considered when opportunities arise.”
Airport University is a joint partnership between Port Jobs and South Seattle Community College. The Academy for Educational Development manages the grant program for the Lumina Foundation for Education, which is funding this two-year pilot phase of Airport University.

Employer input crucial to class design, strong results

Surveys of employers’ specific needs help class instructors target assignments, examples, and role plays for maximum benefit. Students report they are feeling more comfortable in their work roles due to what they are learning in class. One student wrote: “I look at my fellow leads and notice them behaving differently. I think they act more professionally.” Said another, “I feel more comfortable being a lead. I stop to think things through - I know there are different options now.”

Students also thanked their employers for making classes available at their workplace. “I would never have been able to take this class without it being at my work site. There are not enough hours in the day to go to college for this type of help,” noted one student.

Said another, “These skills are musts... but when you work and you are tired, unless you could get them some way like [at work] you don’t.”

A second popular course offered at Airport University, Job Seeking Basics (JSB), is teaching job seekers how to get the proverbial ‘foot in the door’ at Sea-Tac Airport.

A 10-hour course taught in three parts, JSB teaches student how to position themselves to meet employers' needs and thereby land a job. Students earn college credit from South Seattle Community College upon course completion.

Class topics include: completing a 10-year employment history; identifying and demonstrating skills on applications; matching skills to minimum qualifications; passing airport security badge tests; understanding what employers are seeking in job applicants; interviewing techniques; and developing personal confidence during the job search process.

The first part of the class is held in a community center, followed by two more sessions at Sea-Tac Airport. As the airport can sometimes feel daunting or intimidating to a first time job seeker, the community location is designed to bring job seekers from a particular neighborhood setting together before they undertake job searches.

Twenty-two students enrolled in the first JSB class. Employers support the course by committing to interview all students who successfully complete it. To date, DAL Global, HMS Host and Wendy’s have hired JSB course graduates.

At the end of one JSB class, a student commented: “[The] instructor was wonderful. She lets you know what you need to land a job. Thanks.” The student came away from the class with a job offer in hand.

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