In this episode of The Capital Runway, we're wrapping up summer and we welcome guests Robin Wade, and Apprentices Greg Halstead, and Jonathan VIera to give us some insights about the Trades Apprentice Program here at the Airports Authority.
In This Episode:
Have questions for us? We'd love to hear from you! Send us an email at info@thecapitalrunway.com |
[00:00:00] Amanda: Hi, I'm Amanda.
[00:00:02] Charles: And I'm Charles, and welcome to The Capital Runway podcast.
[00:00:06] Amanda: We're here to share experiences of our people, functions and operations of both Washington Dulles and Reagan National airports.
[00:00:14] Charles: All right. Hey, Amanda, how you been?
[00:00:16] Amanda: Great. How are you?
[00:00:18] Charles: Awesome. Life is good you know. I always say that. Anything new going on, either at work or your personal life that you want to share?
[00:00:25] Amanda: At the airport, we're so busy all the time.
[00:00:29] Charles: So you're staying busy?
[00:00:30] Amanda: Staying busy, trying to make sure that passengers are having a good experience and just trying to have some fun. How about you?
[00:00:37] Charles: Before the summer ends, I want to take a couple more vacations. Martha's Vineyard is on the list and I might take a cruise. I'm going to use up all their vacation time.
[00:00:48] Amanda: That's exciting.
[00:00:50] Charles: I'm looking forward to just disconnecting for a minute.
[00:00:53] Amanda: Speaking of being in the airport, have you noticed our newest edition of FlyWashington Magazine? I think it came out a few weeks ago.
[00:01:02] Charles: Yes, I saw it.
[00:01:03] Amanda: I think it has Jonathan Allen on the cover, so it's got a really nice spread on the Commanders and some really great topics. If you're in the airport, you should definitely pick it out.
[00:01:12] Charles: Yes, check it out.
[00:01:16] Amanda: Today, we have three guests joining us. We have Robin Wade, Greg Halstead and Jonathan Viera. Welcome to all of you. Thank you so much for joining us.
[00:01:27] Robin: Thank you, Amanda.
[00:01:28] Charles: Yes, welcome. We're excited about today's conversation.
[00:01:32] Amanda: Robin, why don't you start and tell us a little bit about your role as the Labor Relations Manager here at the authority?
[00:01:39] Robin: I wear many hats as the Labor Relations Manager, actually it's Labor and Employee Relations Manager. I'm responsible for everything that's related to the labor agreements. We have five bargaining units, and I oversee a staff that services the union and union contracts. We also are responsible for the conduct and discipline, directive and making sure that everyone is treated fairly and discipline is applied evenly and effectively. We also conduct all of the investigations related to workplace violence incidents in the workplace. We also are responsible for the Family and Medical Leave Program, the Employee Exit Interview Program, and my pride and joy, the Skilled Trades Apprentice Program.
[00:02:28] Charles: What actually is apprenticeship and how did MWAA become involved in the program.
[00:02:34] Robin: Apprenticeship is, it's a learn and grow type program. It's where we get people who are just coming into a career path in the skilled trades and we give them an on-the-job education and worked side-by-side with a mentor. In addition to the wrench time, the hours on the job, they go to school as well and they take courses that are related to their particular trade. At the end of that series of educational courses and on-the-job training, an apprentice goes on and takes their journey license and they become a licensed journey person.
[00:03:11] Charles: What part of this program do you enjoy the most?
[00:03:15] Robin: What do I enjoy the most? Hands down has to be getting out to the schools and reaching out to the students and working with young people and letting them know about opportunities that they may not have thought about as a career path. Most kids go to school and talk to their parents or friends, "Oh, college, college, college." College is not for everyone, which is okay. We are in a place in our organization, and not just our organization but in many workplaces where you don't have enough skilled trade workers, you don't have enough plumbers, you don't have enough electrician, you don't have enough welders.
I've been here for 23 years, and when I first came, it was a different face of the Authority and all of those people have retired, moved on. This program was meant to before that knowledge walked out of the door that we bring people in and we give them the hands-on learn from the experts education about how an airport operates. An airport is a different beast, it's not like going to a regular construction site and working. There are certain nuances and things that you need to know and understand in working in an airport. It was a great time to have an apprentice program launched and mesh it with the outgoing so we could build a workforce to move into the future.
[00:04:43] Charles: Great, thank you.
[00:04:44] Amanda: I see on the internet all the time how we need more tradespeople. That is definitely a common thread that I have seen much more recently than I have in previous years. How many occupations do we offer apprenticeships for here at the Authority?
[00:05:02] Robin: Okay. When we first started the program, back in 2015, we started with just four trades and now we have expanded to 11 trades and we're even looking towards in the future building to a nontraditional apprentice program approach. That's pretty common now. They're using it in other fields in the hard-to-fill positions, but yes, we have expanded to 11. We have some really interesting trades and a lot of opportunities that young people have never considered. We're opening it up to them.
[00:05:39] Charles: Okay. Robin, you talked a little bit about partnerships with high schools. How does the MWAA program match with high school programs in our area?
[00:05:49] Robin: When we first started the program, I only knew about PG County Public Schools. I live in PG County. I coached in Prince George's County for many years. You have so many teachers and they run certain things, and you have to get out and you have to meet the teachers. I used my baseline, my connection with Largo and they got me connected with people in the county and got me connected with the CTE program. It just expanded beyond Prince George's to the district, to Fairfax, Louden, Prince William, Southern Maryland. It's just grown over the years.
It was also due to our involvement with the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry. We had a great representative who helped us put the program together. She helped lay the groundwork for me to get introductions to different committees and different programs and schools around the DMV area.
[00:06:49] Charles: Great. Thank you.
[00:06:50] Amanda: Is the apprenticeship program just for high schoolers or can anybody apply?
[00:06:54] Robin: Oh, anyone can apply. We have various stages of careers, people in their careers in the program. We have some individuals who were in the financial area, and they decided this isn't what they want to do. In their past they had military experience and they were a trades person in the military and they were able to jump back in and continue on with the trades path. We also have one or two people that came here from other countries and when they came here, whatever career they were in, in their country, their credentials didn't transfer over and they decided, "I'm going to go ahead and recreate myself professionally, and just took on a new career."
We have one man in particular, he had taken all of his coursework, but he didn't have any hands on experience. With us, he was able to gain the hands on experience, got his license and now not only is he a journey worker, but he's been here long enough. He has his master's license as well.
[00:07:58] Amanda: Wow. That's great. That's awesome. Let's talk to Greg and Jonathan a little bit. How did you guys both find out about the MWAA Apprenticeship Program?
[00:08:12] Greg: Hello, I'm Gregory Halstead. I'm a carpenter apprentice and I'm coming up on end of my first year on August 1st. Jonathan here is actually a friend of mine from high school. We went to the same high school together. He was in it so he actually told me about it, and when they had openings up, so that's how I found out.
[00:08:29] Jonathan: My name is Jonathan Vieira, I'm part of the exterior electrical shop and I am entering my third year of apprenticeship. Well, I discovered the apprenticeship program through community college. I was going at Prince George's Community College at the time when my coordinator introduced the program to me and I was very interested. At that time, I didn't have the experience. I just had started the courses in electrical one. I thought it was a great opportunity to actually join the apprenticeship program and I saw everything it had to offer and I took my chance and we're here.
[00:09:08] Robin: Why don't you talk about your brother?
[laughs]
We got two for--
[00:09:13] Amanda: Don't hold back.
[00:09:14] Jonathan: My brother and I both also saw the opportunity because-- Well, I'm an electrician and my brother's a plumber. He also was looking for a position at the time he hadn't started school yet. We both took the opportunity. He's in the plumbing field and I'm in the electrical field. We're both working at Dulles International as apprentices.
[00:09:36] Amanda: That's great.
[00:09:37] Charles: Your parents must be proud.
[00:09:39] Jonathan: Yeah. I hope so.
[00:09:41] Charles: I have three questions. Which high school did you guys go to? You guys met in high school?
[00:09:46] Jonathan: We did. We did meet in high school. We both went to Bladensburg High School in Prince George's County. We both went to carpentry class together with Mr. Brown. Greg was a year ahead of me. We both started off in the carpentry field. I always wanted to join the electrical field, but at the time, we didn't have the opportunity to join the electrical courses in Bladensburg High School. I was always interested in the construction area so I decided to take my chances in carpentry. Through carpentry, it benefited me a lot because to join the apprenticeship program, you kind of need to have at least a little bit of knowledge for the trade. Carpentry actually helped me join the apprenticeship program.
[00:10:41] Charles: In addition to carpentry, were there any other courses you took in high school or community college that really sparked that interest saying, "Hey, I want to do this?"
[00:10:51] Jonathan: I think what really sparked my interest in trade, it was through my father. In high school, it was more carpentry, but through my father, he's a carpenter himself, I found the interest in electricity and trade.
[00:11:10] Greg: Well for me, I'd say, I went to the same high school, did carpentry classes. Other than that, my experience with construction is long-going. My dad did roofing when I was younger, so I'd help him. I have an uncle who does electrical work, so I would work with him. Me growing up, I was always around construction trades and the whole thing. I just naturally grew up to liking it and wanting to do it.
[00:11:35] Amanda: If you're talking to someone who might be interested in participating, what are some tips or advice or really anything that you could say that you really enjoy about the program?
[00:11:45] Greg: I really enjoy a lot of the interactions I have with other coworkers. They're always nice to see everyone, helpful whenever you have a question or something. Like Robin said, working at an airport is difficult. When you first get here, there's a lot of people walking around, there's a lot of dogs. You wouldn't actually think there'd be that many, but there are. There's just a lot of things that can always go wrong. Unless you know exactly what you're doing, always ask for help and there's always someone around to always give you the hand that you need.
[00:12:20] Jonathan: Well, to start off, I think the knowledge that MWAA was able to provide with all of our necessities in the financial state as well they pay for all of my schools, all of my courses. I think that was very important to me because I think Ms. Robin over here mentioned it. College isn't for everybody. It wasn't for me, so I decided to join the apprenticeship. Having the knowledge that they provide for school, clothing, tools, I think that's the opportunity that I really enjoy. I enjoy working with everybody in the company and it's also a very healthy environment.
Sometimes you're afraid to interact with your superiors. Actually, I had the chance to meet up with Richard Kalinowski, the airport manager, and we have lunch every six months. It's a special environment. They make you feel great, they make you feel special. The company makes you feel needed. If I were to recommend someone to go into trade, I do recommend MWAA.
[00:13:30] Charles: I'm curious, how did Robin find you guys? Once she found you, she said, “You know what, I'm signing on the dotted line at MWAA.”
[00:13:39] Jonathan: Robin actually came to Bladensburg High School. I think that played a special role in how I came to know about the airport because I have heard about it through Mr. Brown. She came, she had connections with the CTE. Then when the opportunity came to me when I went to Prince George's Community College, it reminded me of all of that and all the opportunities here at MWAA. That played a huge role.
[00:14:12] Greg: The same way. before MWAA I was actually doing construction for a small company and it was doing okay, but it wasn't really a long-term I wanted it. When she finally went back to Mr. Brown, Mr. Brown reached out to me and told me to apply. That's when I figured it was time for a change. I got another nice job coming up, so I changed my career to over here.
[00:14:39] Amanda: What's the application process like for someone who wants to go through the apprenticeship program?
[00:14:44] Greg: It took me probably about three months to do the whole process of actually applying for the job to finishing getting it.
[00:14:53] Jonathan: We do have to go through background checks and the safety for everybody. It took a while, but it was worth it.
[00:15:03] Amanda: What's something that surprised you about working in an airport that you might not have realized?
[00:15:09] Greg: What really surprised me was, like I said, one, was the amount of animals you actually see inside an airport. You wouldn't think there you would see. I walked around Reagan, I see at least 10 dogs a day, and that's not even counting the police dogs that they have that they walk around with. Another thing is all the shops and stuff that they have. That was what really surprised me was how much it was more like a small community or really a small mall with airplanes.
[laughter]
That's really the big surprise for me.
[00:15:44] Jonathan: I think what surprised me the most is the lack of coworkers my age when I came to the company. I'm going to be honest, I felt like a child where everybody was about 40, 50. The max was 60 years old. I'm like, "Where are the 20-year-old at?"
[laughter]
It's upsetting to know that the younger people don't find much interest in the trades as they did before. We have an older generation that really seek the trade. Now you can rarely see an electrician my age. That was what surprised me the most. I was expecting more people my age, but I think the youth are forgetting that there is another way. There is another path. Now college isn't always a way.
[00:16:39] Amanda: Yes. What's the minimum age to apply for the apprenticeship program?
[00:16:42] Robin: You need to be at least age 18.
[00:16:45] Amanda: 18?
[00:16:46] Robin: Yes. You got to be 18. You have to be 18, possess a valid driver's license, and successfully go through a background check. You have to have taken at least one trades-related course and physically able to perform the job.
[00:17:07] Amanda: Yes, that's important, and driver's license probably for some of them.
[00:17:09] Robin: Yes, yes.
[00:17:10] Amanda: What do you think is a barrier for some people applying to a trades program? Is it lack of awareness? Is it thinking that there's not going to be something for them after that? Do you have any idea what that might be?
[00:17:25] Robin: A lot of the school systems up until now have not really been that welcoming of CTE type programs. It's been over the last few years where CTE has exploded, but it's lack of awareness and lack of exposure in a lot of cases.
[00:17:42] Amanda: Just to clarify, apprenticeship it's a paid role. These are not unpaid roles, right?
[00:17:48] Robin: Oh, absolutely. Our apprentices are paid a wage and they come in based on the amount of experience and educational credit that they have. We use something called NCCER, which is a certifying body for trades courses and the trades field. When they come in, we assess where they are and they have to prove to us what level they've attained and they have to give us official transcripts. Some people come in and they start at ground zero. You can be in the program up to four years, but we have some that come in level one, level two, so it just depends.
Every six months they receive a salary increase and at the end of the apprenticeship program, they're converted automatically to a-- Once they get their license, they're converted automatically to a journey-level position without competition. They move right into a journey slot.
[00:18:43] Amanda: Oh, that's great. it's a guaranteed position.
[00:18:46] Robin: They don't have to interview and compete. Once they've proven themselves, they've been there this many years and they have the licensing. We move them directly over and then they are moved to a journeyman's rate of pay. They get full benefits. They get everything that a regular employee gets with the exception of being able to participate in our retirement program.
[00:19:06] Amanda: Okay.
[00:19:07] Charles: Great. That's good to know. I didn't know that. We'd like to ask our guests, and you guys are no different, where are you guys flying to next?
[00:19:14] Robin: Where am I flying to next?
[00:19:15] Charles: Yep. Any special trips?
[00:19:16] Robin: Oh, yes. I'm going to Saint Martin in November. I just came back from the Dominican Republic.
[00:19:22] Amanda: That's awesome.
[00:19:23] Jonathan: This December, I'm going to Nicaragua, Managua for a mission trip with the church. I'm going very soon.
[00:19:30] Amanda: That's great.
[00:19:31] Greg: Well, probably in September, I'm heading up to New York. Two weeks ago, I just got back from Kentucky for a long weekend trip.
[00:19:40] Amanda: Before we end, are there any final thoughts or last-minute things you want to share with our audience?
[00:19:46] Robin: What's next for the program? Well, just like you see these two guys here and they're out, they're being the voice of the program, letting people know and spreading the awareness, I like to-- We have the technical side down. I like to work on the soft skills side. They're prepared for other options and opportunities that may come up within the Authority because we want them to make their career here. Again, we have a workforce that is going to be funneling out. We need people that are going to be prepared to be supervisors, to be the leader, to be the department manager. That's our next phase of development with the internal apprentices, and from the outside, our outreach is going to move down to the middle school level. We are enlightening them at the eighth-grade level so they understand when they get to high school, "Hey, where's the CTE program?" You have level-one plumbing here at the school. They're aware and they can start preparing for their career path and apprentice programs just like ours once they graduate.
[00:20:54] Amanda: Well, thank you guys so much for joining us. This has been a great conversation.
[00:20:58] Charles: Yes. I learned a lot.
[00:20:59] Advertisement: We don't travel to escape life. We travel so life doesn't escape us. We dream of a place anywhere in the world and in the blink of an eye, we're there. That's the wonder of flight. All you have to decide is where to. Dulles International Airport let your imagination soar. Book your adventure today at flydulles.com/nonstop.
[00:21:27] Charles: I learned a lot about the apprenticeship program that I did not know.
[00:21:29] Amanda: I know. It's fascinating.
[00:21:31] Charles: Yes, and just see their faces light up when they talk about what they do and how they do and how they're making a difference at the airport is outstanding.
[00:21:39] Amanda: Yes, and to know that there's a guaranteed role for them at the end, I think that's so great. They don't have to have competition, they don't have to worry about that, I think that that is a real big plus.
[00:21:54] Charles: Yes. Even hearing Robin's story. It plays right into what she's doing now and as far as connecting with young people and exposing them to opportunities at the airport. It's really cool.
[00:22:04] Amanda: Absolutely. Cool. Well, that's a wrap for this episode. If anybody has any questions, you can send us an email at info@thecapitalrunway.com.
[00:22:18] Charles: That's a wrap.
[00:22:21] [END OF AUDIO]