The National Academies Press

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From page 61... ... 3-1 Chapter 3: Building Internal Staff Capacity Building internal staff capacity is critical so airports can ensure their current workforce has the skills and knowledge required for the future. Skill needs are continuously evolving due to technology and regulatory changes, and the importance of certain capabilities such as airportspecific knowledge and personal effectiveness continues to grow. Read the entire page →
From page 62... ... 3-2 Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity Description of the Workforce Capacity Challenge As described in Chapter 2, airports find attracting new talent to the workforce to be a major challenge. However, the challenge does not end once employees are hired. Read the entire page →
From page 63... ... Building Internal Staff Capacity 3-3 2. Increase airport-specific knowledge. Read the entire page →
From page 64... ... 3-4 Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity Read the entire page →
From page 65... ... Building Internal Staff Capacity 3-5 Action Plans for Building Internal Staff Capacity This section of the chapter includes four action plans that airports may use for improving internal staff capacity. Information describing the strategy, implementation steps, resource requirements, and alternate approaches is included in each action plan. Read the entire page →
From page 66... ... 3-6 Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity Pro Tip Refer to the Skills Gap Analysis Toolkit beginning on page 3-37 for resources to help throughout the gap analysis process. Description. Read the entire page →
From page 67... ... Building Internal Staff Capacity 3-7 K-12 Comm College 4-Year College Graduate School Early Career Mid-Career Late Career Retirees Other Key Stakeholder(s) • Senior and mid-level leaders Action Plan Lead(s) Read the entire page →
From page 68... ... 3-8 Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity Implementation Lead(s) • Human resources leader 1. Read the entire page →
From page 69... ... Building Internal Staff Capacity 3-9 Obstacles & Considerations Key Success Factors • Immediate successful output will be a prioritized list of gaps with action plans to address those identified as highest priority • Ultimate success will involve skill gaps that are closed as a result of the gap analysis action plans, ensuring that the airport is prepared to meet its future skill needs • Sufficient participation from leaders and employees is required to gather input on the current and future state of the workforce • Ensure sufficient support and resource allocation to act on gap analysis results, which could require actions such as developing new training or hiring for new positions Action Plan 5 Cont'd: Conduct Gap Analysis to Identify Skill Needs Adapting to Industry Change • Changing Technologies: Gap analysis can help airports ensure that their workforce possesses the skills required to be successful using changing technologies such as NextGen, cloud computing, social media, or analytics software. • SMS Requirements: Similarly, gap analysis can help airports to identify any needed skill improvements to address SMS requirements related to safety factors and risks. Read the entire page →
From page 70... ... 3-10 Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity criteria that will ensure the compatibility of the pair as well as the growth of the mentee. Mentoring assignments are typically long term, often lasting 6 months to 1 year. Read the entire page →
From page 71... ... Building Internal Staff Capacity 3-11 Pro Tip Refer to the Mentoring Program Agreement on page 3-50 to help when establishing new mentormentee relationships. Real-World Example An industry expert shared that a medium-sized regional airport authority launched a succession planning program. Read the entire page →
From page 72... ... 3-12 Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity Other Key Stakeholders • Mentors: Experienced mid-level and seniorlevel leaders • Mentees: Entry-level through mid-level staff Action Plan Lead(s) • Senior leadership • Director of HR or senior HR manager • Chief administrative officer Resources Needed: • Senior leaders and senior management who recognize the importance of the mentoring programs and are willing to provide resources and support • A sufficient number of potential mentors and mentees who may be interested in participating in program 1. Read the entire page →
From page 73... ... Building Internal Staff Capacity 3-13 Implementation Lead(s) • Designated HR or training personnel • Identified mentoring program coordinator • Steering committee or working group for the mentoring program Estimated Time to Implement 0-3 months 3-6 months 7 months – 1 year More than 1 year Key Stakeholder(s) Read the entire page →
From page 74... ... 3-14 Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity 5. Identify and secure the resources needed for the program. Read the entire page →
From page 75... ... Building Internal Staff Capacity 3-15 Obstacles & Considerations Key Success Factors • Mentor/mentee pairs should establish a set of goals to focus on during the program • Mentor/mentee pairs should meet on a consistent basis • Group activities should help build and reinforce mentor/mentee interactions • Resource constraints may limit the number of individuals who can participate • Employees not selected for the program may be angry or upset • Care needs to be taken in matching mentor-mentee pairs to ensure that they will be a good fit and benefit one another Action Plan 6 Cont'd: Establish Formal Mentoring Program Sustain Quantifiable Outcomes/Measures of Impact 1. Increased career progression for employees who participate as mentees 2. Read the entire page →
From page 76... ... 3-16 Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity Action Plan 6 Cont'd: Establish Formal Mentoring Program Adapting to Industry Change • Changing Demographics: Creating mentor-mentee pairs in which participants are matched based on demographic factors (e.g., race, sex) may increase the retention of underrepresented groups of employees in airports and help mentors and mentees to better connect. Read the entire page →
From page 77... ... Building Internal Staff Capacity 3-17 Description. A community of practice (CoP) Read the entire page →
From page 78... ... 3-18 Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity Pro Tip Record insights shared during CoPs using a white board – whether it is a physical or virtual one. Read the entire page →
From page 79... ... Building Internal Staff Capacity 3-19 Real-World Example Southwest Florida International Airport instituted Lunch and Learn sessions where employees come together to learn about important topics and make sure that institutional knowledge is shared and disseminated. These sessions are less formalized than a traditional Community of Practice, but meet the same goal of sharing knowledge with employees. Read the entire page →
From page 80... ... 3-20 Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity K-12 Comm College 4-Year College Graduate School Early Career Mid-Career Late Career Retirees Other Key Stakeholders • Airport senior leadership Action Plan Lead(s) • HR personnel or steering committee • Training and development leads • Airport functional area experts Resources Needed: • Bulletin board or intranet page that lists Communities of Practice (CoPs) Read the entire page →
From page 81... ... Building Internal Staff Capacity 3-21 Implementation Lead(s) • Airport leadership • HR personnel or training leads • Supervisors or other employees willing to lead CoP sessions Estimated Time to Implement 0-3 months 3-6 months 7 months – 1 year More than 1 year Key Stakeholder(s) Read the entire page →
From page 82... ... 3-22 Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity 3. Design the community to meet the airport's needs. Read the entire page →
From page 83... ... Building Internal Staff Capacity 3-23 Obstacles & Considerations Key Success Factors • Identifying topics that employees can be passionate about and thereby fully immerse themselves in the community. • Supporting employees in their capacity and knowledge development will help produce employees with needed skills who are committed to the airport because of its investment in them. Read the entire page →
From page 84... ... 3-24 Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity Description. Employee knowledge of airport specific information and the types of work that occur in the airport can be increased by exposing staff to the jobs of different airport employees. Read the entire page →
From page 85... ... Building Internal Staff Capacity 3-25 • Prepare employees for promotions or new jobs. Job shadowing provides an opportunity for employees to gain a realistic job preview (RJP) Read the entire page →
From page 86... ... 3-26 Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity K-12 Comm College 4-Year College Graduate School Early Career Mid-Career Late Career Retirees Pro Tip A clear plan should be in place that lays out who will work in which job and for how long, how many rotations each employee will participate in, expectations for performance in each rotation, and how arrangements will be made to cover the employee's primary job when he/she is on rotation. Job rotation programs have been shown to result in increased knowledge and skill acquisition, including administrative, technical, and business skills. Read the entire page →
From page 87... ... Building Internal Staff Capacity 3-27 Other Key Stakeholders • Airport senior leadership • Experienced employees to be shadowed or who can support those on rotation Action Plan Lead(s) • Human resources personnel • Training and development leads • Airport functional area experts Resources Needed: • Organizational charts that show all airport jobs as well as interactions among job types to determine areas where shadowing or rotation programs would be beneficial • Representatives from different airport functional areas to make sure that their work is well understood by those developing the shadowing or rotation program(s) Read the entire page →
From page 88... ... 3-28 Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity 1. Determine the type of program needed to meet airport needs and resource availability. Read the entire page →
From page 89... ... Building Internal Staff Capacity 3-29 3. Gather input from employees regarding the types of jobs they would like to shadow, areas of the airport that they would benefit from learning about, or what they are interested in learning from shadowing. Read the entire page →
From page 90... ... 3-30 Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity 5. Invite employees to participate in the job shadowing program. Read the entire page →
From page 91... ... Building Internal Staff Capacity 3-31 8. Evaluate the program. Read the entire page →
From page 92... ... 3-32 Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity Action Plan 8 Cont'd: Provide Job Shadowing or Job Rotation Opportunities to Expose Employees to Different Jobs Adapting to Industry Change • New Technologies: With new technologies that will be developed and utilized within airports in the near future, job shadowing and job rotation programs provide an opportunity for employees to learn about how to use the technology in different jobs. Sustain Quantifiable Outcomes/Measures of Impact 1. Read the entire page →
From page 93... ... Building Internal Staff Capacity 3-33 Practical Tools and Resources for Building Internal Staff Capacity In this section, tools to assist in implementing three of the action plans are presented, as summarized in the following table. Each of the tools and practical resources included in this chapter, along with the action plan with which they are associated and the page number on which they begin, are provided in the table below. Read the entire page →
From page 94... ... 3-34 Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity • The toolkit includes various resources, checklists, and informational handouts that can be used in the process of developing a job shadowing program. The informational handouts are provided for both the visitor and sponsor participating in job shadowing. Read the entire page →
From page 95... ... Building Internal Staff Capacity 3-35 Source Resource Description and Link OPM/ USPTO Mentoring Program Toolkit This toolkit provides 11 major steps in the process of developing a mentoring program, with corresponding tips, tools, techniques, and advice. https://www.opm.gov/Wiki/uploads/docs/Wiki/OPM/training/ Mentoring%20Toolkit%203-18-10.pdf ICF's The Spark Make the Most of a Mentorship Program to Advance Your Career at any Level This brief article discusses guiding principles for getting the most out of a mentor-mentee relationship. Read the entire page →
From page 96... ... 3-36 Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity Source Resource Description and Link Harvard Business Review Cultivating Communities of Practice: A Guide to Managing Knowledge This book outlines models and methods of establishing communities of practice with research and organizational examples. Available for purchase at: https://hbr.org/product/cultivating-communities-of-practice-aguide-to-managing-knowledge/3308-HBK-ENG Action Plan 8: Provide Job Shadowing or Job Rotation Opportunities to Expose Employees to Different Jobs Source Resource Description and Link Manchester Metropolitan University Job Shadowing Guidelines This guide provides an overview of job shadowing, including different types of programs, benefits, responsibilities, and practical considerations. Read the entire page →
From page 97... ... Building Internal Staff Capacity 3-37 Skills Gap Analysis Toolkit This Skills Gap Analysis Toolkit contains the following sections: 1. What Is a Skills Gap Analysis? Read the entire page →
From page 98... ... 3-38 Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity What Is a Skills Gap Analysis? A skills gap analysis is a process that involves comparing the current state of the workforce to the desired future state. Read the entire page →
From page 99... ... Building Internal Staff Capacity 3-39 Example Questions for Defining the Future State When working to define the future state, it is useful to conduct interviews and/or focus groups with leadership and supervisors. This section contains some questions that may be asked during future state data collection sessions. Read the entire page →
From page 100... ... 3-40 Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity Example Current State (As-Is) Assessment This page contains an example assessment to obtain current proficiency ratings. Read the entire page →
From page 101... ... Building Internal Staff Capacity 3-41 Action Planning Templates This section contains templates that may be used during action planning workshops after skill gaps have been identified. Prioritizing Skill Gaps After learning about gap analysis results, participants individually can rate the priority of skill gaps and consider potential actions that may be taken to remedy them. Read the entire page →
From page 102... ... 3-42 Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity Sorting Actions to Address Skill Gaps After identifying potential actions to remedy skill gaps, sort them by type. Determine which actions are priorities that require action plans. Read the entire page →
From page 103... ... Building Internal Staff Capacity 3-43 Prioritizing Actions to Address Skill Gaps After actions have been sorted, prioritize them as a group. Discussion Questions to Help Prioritize Potential Actions What should this action look like? Read the entire page →
From page 104... ... 3-44 Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity This Mentoring Program Toolkit provides multiple resources that can be used when developing and implementing a mentoring program within an airport. These resources include the following: Establishing a Mentoring Program • Includes an overview of topics that airports need to consider when developing a mentoring program. Read the entire page →
From page 105... ... Building Internal Staff Capacity 3-45 Establishing a Mentoring Program This list details topics airports should consider when implementing a mentoring program. Each of these steps falls during the program development phase, before the mentoring program begins to be implemented. Read the entire page →
From page 106... ... 3-46 Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity • How long will the program last? • How will mentors and mentees be recruited and from where? Read the entire page →
From page 107... ... Building Internal Staff Capacity 3-47 Matching Criteria Explanation of Criteria Input from Mentors The senior-level staff participating as mentors often see relationships that would be most conducive to mentoring based on criteria that are very qualitative or "soft." Self-Directed Matching Mentors create short bios (1–2 paragraphs) that describe their work experiences, strengths, and areas of expertise. Read the entire page →
From page 108... ... 3-48 Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity Mentoring Program Activities Mentoring programs can include a variety of structured activities or ideas for activities in which mentors and mentees can participate. Regular structured activities ensure that the program stays active, that participants have new goals and skills to work on at regular intervals (e.g., each month) Read the entire page →
From page 109... ... Building Internal Staff Capacity 3-49 Activities to Build Camaraderie Between Mentorship Partners Goal: Support development of strong relationships between mentors and mentees. Timing: To occur throughout the length of the mentoring program. Read the entire page →
From page 110... ... 3-50 Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity Mentoring Program Agreement Who: Mentor: _________________________________ Mentee: _________________________________ When and Where: What We Are Working Toward: How: • Partnership expectations for the mentor: • Partnership expectations for the mentee: • Ground rules to follow: • How will we communicate outside of meetings? Agreement We agree to work together to make this mentoring partnership a success. Read the entire page →
From page 111... ... Building Internal Staff Capacity 3-51 Mentoring Program Evaluation At the end of each mentoring program cycle (i.e., each cohort of mentoring program pairs) , an evaluation of the mentoring program should occur. Read the entire page →
From page 112... ... 3-52 Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity Purpose and Overview As described in Action Plan 8: Provide Job Shadowing or Job Rotation Opportunities to Expose Employees to Different Jobs, the ability for employees to follow another employee during their work day and see firsthand the work performed creates benefits in terms of building a deeper understanding of the airport's work and preparing employees for promotions and new jobs. However, to fully experience these gains it is necessary to plan for the job shadowing events. Read the entire page →
From page 113... ... Building Internal Staff Capacity 3-53 Checklist for Establishing a Job Shadowing Program To gain the greatest benefits from a job shadowing program, it is important to be detailed and intentional in developing and implementing the program to ensure that learning occurs and information is shared between sponsors and visitors. This checklist can be used in conjunction with Action Plan 8: Provide Job Shadowing or Job Rotation Opportunities to Expose Employees to Different Jobs and lays out activities that should be completed to develop, implement, evaluate, and sustain a job shadowing program. Read the entire page →
From page 114... ... 3-54 Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity Benefits to the Sponsor Benefits to the Visitor • Develop personal coaching and mentoring skills • Opportunity to support the development of other airport employees • Ability to share work experiences with potential successors • Help the airport to retain knowledge and prepare employees for future positions a desired job • Gain insight into how work is done in a different job • Learn from the experiences of another airport employee • Increase awareness of job tasks in other airport jobs • See potential career pathways within the airport [ ] Select visitor participants based on program eligibility requirements and the airport's needs in terms of succession planning and employee development. Read the entire page →
From page 115... ... Building Internal Staff Capacity 3-55 o I have a better understanding of available trainings and developmental opportunities after completing this job shadow. [Rate: Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree] Read the entire page →
From page 116... ... 3-56 Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity Getting the Most Out of Job Shadowing: For the Visitor The opportunity to participate in a job shadowing experience is one that can be valuable to your career and personal development. To get the most out of this experience, you as the visitor to another job should prepare for the visit, be intentional and thoughtful during the visit, and reflect on lessons learned during the visit. Read the entire page →
From page 117... ... Building Internal Staff Capacity 3-57 Preparing for the Job o What training or education was most helpful in preparing you for this job? What internal training opportunities have been helpful in this role? Read the entire page →
From page 118... ... 3-58 Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity Getting the Most Out of Job Shadowing: For the Sponsor The opportunity to host a job shadow participant can help you share best practices and allow for self-development by teaching another employee about your job. To ensure successful job shadowing events, you as the sponsor should prepare for the visit and work to create an experience that is open and educational. Read the entire page →
From page 119... ... Building Internal Staff Capacity 3-59 Case Studies Related to Building Internal Staff Capacity The two case studies in the following table present examples of creative ways airports are implementing strategies to build internal staff capacity. Case Studies Airport Characteristics Page Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport (XNA) Read the entire page →
From page 120... ... 3-60 Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity Strategy in Action Programs: Airport-Specific Training and Developmental Activities Size Large Mid-size Small Additional Characteristics • Located in an area where the population is rapidly growing • Airport employs fewer than 50 staff members; janitorial and heavy maintenance work are outsourced Governance Model • Airport authority, comprising multiple counties in the state • Area cities and counties appoint board members Airport Features Case Study 4: Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport, Bentonville, AR Summary of Strategy: When considering a focus on the challenge area of Building Internal Staff Knowledge and Skills, Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport takes multiple approaches to support employee training and development. Various strategies that have been effective in helping employees develop in the needed areas are further described below. Read the entire page →
From page 121... ... Building Internal Staff Capacity 3-61 the following criteria must be met: o Employees must be involved in a class or program that will benefit the airport, but the employee does not need to be degree seeking o The employee must pay for the class up front o Employees are reimbursed based on their course grade. Full reimbursement is provided if the employee receives an A in the class, with lower levels of reimbursement for lower grades. Read the entire page →
From page 122... ... 3-62 Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity • Needed training opportunities can also be identified by supervisors. Supervisors may hear of a training opportunity that would benefit their employee, and they could recommend an employee for attendance at the training. Read the entire page →
From page 123... ... Building Internal Staff Capacity 3-63 SolutionsChallenges Encountered • In municipal airports, it can be more difficult to get funding for things like training and traveling to conferences. • At times, leadership will question the amount of money budgeted for training opportunities. Read the entire page →
From page 124... ... 3-64 Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity Program: Conducting a Training Needs Assessment Summary of Strategy: When considering a focus on the challenge area of Building Internal Staff Knowledge and Skills, Bishop International Airport utilized multiple strategies to support employee training and development. Leadership realized that there were some employees without a strong skill set in needed areas, such as technology and its uses in the airport. Read the entire page →
From page 125... ... Building Internal Staff Capacity 3-65 To gain employee buy-in for the needs assessment, the airport found it valuable to let employees know that they were the experts in what they needed. Involving employees in the need identification process and having an open door policy regarding the suggestion of ideas for needed changes made employees more invested in the process and more willing to participate and improve their skills. Read the entire page →
From page 126... ... 3-66 Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity Solutions Challenges Encountered • Sometimes, there is not enough money to do everything that you want. A lack of a training facility with dedicated computers means that there is no location where employees can sit and work on training or skill development. Read the entire page →

From page 61...

... 3-1 Chapter 3: Building Internal Staff Capacity Building internal staff capacity is critical so airports can ensure their current workforce has the skills and knowledge required for the future. Skill needs are continuously evolving due to technology and regulatory changes, and the importance of certain capabilities such as airportspecific knowledge and personal effectiveness continues to grow.