Airport recognized for commitment to employee investment and career development

PHOENIX – As the largest economic engine in the state of Arizona, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport plays a critical role as an employment center for more than 47,000 people from across the Phoenix metro area. To ensure resiliency and accommodate the future needs of the community and travelers, the airport has embraced an extensive workforce development program. These efforts are vital in cultivating talent and creating pathways for career growth within the aviation sector. As a result, Phoenix Sky Harbor achieved the Level 3 rating in the Airport Workforce Development Accreditation Program and was recently presented with the honor at the Airports Council International – North America & Airports Council International World General Assembly, Conference and Exhibition.

“Phoenix Sky Harbor has long been committed to investing in its people and fostering community partnerships,” said Aviation Director Chad Makovsky. “We’re excited that our efforts are being recognized by the Airport Workforce Development Accreditation Program and look forward to continuing to build on the work we’ve done to elevate aviation opportunities in Phoenix.”

America’s Friendliest Airport® is among four airports that have the Level 3 rating or higher and only one of 12 organizations in the program. This is also the first year Phoenix Sky Harbor has participated. The Airport Workforce Development Accreditation Program is a globally recognized framework that helps airports benchmark and improve performance across key areas such as safety, customer experience, environmental sustainability, and workforce development. It consists of five levels:

• Level 1: Building the Base
• Level 2: Nurturing Talent
• Level 3: Cultivating Connections
• Level 4: Extending Influence
• Level 5: Shaping Tomorrow

To reach the Level 3 certification, Phoenix Sky Harbor had to demonstrate it met all the elements within each of the levels. This included demonstrating the airport’s development of a comprehensive workforce development strategy, raising awareness of the airport and career opportunities, engagement with youth, defining critical job skills and developing an organizational plan to help employees build those skills, and more.

Some of the initiatives include Monthly Job Fairs. Since November 2021, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport has hosted monthly job fairs, connecting job seekers with hundreds of career opportunities offered by airport tenants. To date, nearly 50 Job Fairs have taken place, each bringing together hundreds of job seekers and 15–20 companies eager to hire for a wide range of positions. These Job Fairs raise awareness of aviation careers and showcase the diverse career pathways available in the industry from customer service and hospitality to skilled trades and operations.

Individuals onboarding with the City of Phoenix Aviation Department, which owns and operates Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, go through a structured onboarding program designed to set employees up for long-term success. This includes role-specific training, safety training, industry-specific training and certifications, and opportunities to connect with mentors, network with peers and continue to build skills through practical, hands-on learning projects.

To build a future-ready aviation workforce, the airport actively partners with local education institutions to promote career pathways in aviation. Through these collaborations, students of all ages are introduced to potential opportunities in the industry. Over the years, Phoenix Sky Harbor has built extensive partnerships with local schools and brought in thousands of students as part of a field trip program to focus on science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) applications at the airport.

Additionally, for the past two summers, Phoenix Sky Harbor has partnered with the Support Sky Harbor Coalition and New Pathways for Youth to develop a behind-the-scenes educational program with tours and speakers to showcase aviation as a career. Youth have had the opportunity to see first-hand the vast number of careers available at an airport, from working with an airline to working in public safety to managing facilities, and more.

These are just a few of the programs the airport offers to create opportunities to learn more about career opportunities available at airports and encourage development within its own workforce. Phoenix Sky Harbor is continuing to work toward building additional programs to reach further levels of the accreditation program.

For more information about Phoenix Sky Harbor’s jobs and monthly Job Fairs, visit skyharbor.com/jobs. For information about the Airport Workforce Development Accreditation Program, visit https://www.astrongerairportworkforce.org/