WHAT IS THE AIRPORTS SCOPING PROJECT?
The project aims to improve the ability of the
East of England airports to improve the customer
service experience through the use of language
skills and cultural information as staff recognise that
the airport is the first and last impression for many
foreign visitors to the UK. The project supports a
workforce that is able to operate in a multi-lingual
and multi-cultural environment.
Funded by the East of England Development Agency and Essex Learning & Skills Council, the project was established to identify both current staff language ability and the main barriers to communication between passengers and staff, and to recommend how communications skills could be developed to further enhance the welcome and first impression that passengers receive as they journey through the airports. Key partners in the project are BAA Stansted, Stansted Academy and East of England Tourism.
BACKGROUND
The effective use of even a limited amount of a
language can have a positive effect on customer
satisfaction. A large proportion of passengers
passing through the region’s airports do not have
English as a first language and, while direct contact
with staff is critical, there are a number of other
ways in which the airports “communicate” with
their customers: body language, announcements,
signs and publicity.
SURVEY
The solution to identifying skills development needs
was to conduct an informal survey with staff from a
wide variety of airport employers, including airport
management teams, BAA Customer Services
& Security, Luton Airport Customer Services,
World Duty Free, Servisair, National Express,
immigration, Ponti’s Restaurant and airport police.
These surveys highlighted the needs for training
in both the behaviours of different culture groups
and short-term language training, particularly in
Spanish, Italian, English and Polish.
The surveys also identified the wide range of
language skills possessed by airport staff and
sought out how these skills were shared across
airport operations. A number of best practice
elements were identified, ranging from development
of ‘crib cards’, innovative body language, rewarding
staff with language skills and identifying staff
language skills during the recruitment process.
PROJECT PHASES
The project is divided into
3 phases. Phase 1 was to
establish the framework
of the project, including
initial meetings with airport
management to obtain the necessary approvals, and
to identify & contact the employers to be supported
and to create a promotional flyer for these employers.
Phase 2 was the survey of employer staff through
a series of half-day visits over an 8-week period,
culminating in the submission and discussion of
a scoping report. Phase 3 is the identification of
potential sources of training funds and appropriate
providers and the delivery of the pilot language &
culture training sessions.
STAFF TRAINING
Following the submission of
the scoping report, funding
streams are being identified
which could support the
training to be given. This
is forecast to be a mixture of existing and newly
developed funds. Pilot sessions of small groups are
to be run on airport premises to coincide with shift
patterns and off-peak airport operations, leading to a
range of qualifications.
To find out more please contact us.
