Training with a job promise
Aviato, Aviato Academy, VDAB, Actiris, Bruxelles Formation and the handling companies of Brussels Airport are joining forces for a unique collaboration. Together, they train Brussels job seekers for a job as baggage and air freight handler at Brussels Airport. During a three-week training in the Talent Hub of Aviato Academy at Brussels Airport, they learn all the tricks of the trade, with the key being a promise of employment with the handler Alyzia.
Aviato, Aviato Academy, VDAB, Actiris, Bruxelles Formation and the handling companies present at Brussels Airport decided in September 2022 to join forces and launch the “baggage and air cargo handler” training programme together.
This training has been tailor-made for future airport assistance agents who ensure the safe loading and unloading of aircraft. Lasting 15 days, it includes the necessary theory in terms of safety and regulations, but also practical exercises, to immediately put the theory into practice and see and test the operations up close. The training is offered by Aviato Academy in its Talent Hub at Brussels Airport. Experienced trainers pass on the material to the candidates with passion and also accompany them in practice and in the field. The peculiarity of this training is that candidates who successfully complete it are allowed to work on both the passenger side and the cargo side of the airport.
“Brussels Airport is constantly on the lookout for new talent, in particular for baggage handling and ground handling services,” explains Arnaud Feist, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Aviato. “With summer looming, Brussels Airport wants to be ready to welcome an increasing number of passengers. Training today for those who will be in the field in a few months is essential. Motivating future candidates is just as important. This is what this training allows, which offers a promise of employment and a long-term commitment for all candidates who pass the trial period.”
“Aviato Academy’s didactic approach is characterized by the fact that we guide and follow the candidates individually from start to finish to give them every chance of success. They are also supported in upgrading their digital skills through the use of tablets and online training. We thus train candidates who will start working with airport partners after having followed a few days of training on their internal tools and procedures. After successfully completing the training, they, therefore, return home with a promise of employment“, explains Isabelle Borli, General Manager of Aviato.
100 candidates will be trained by this summer
All partners and job seekers have access to this training, but specific efforts are also made to attract Brussels candidates to this training path. In 2022, 50 Brussels candidates who have taken this training have started working for the handler Alyzia. This year, at least twice as many candidates will be trained and therefore active in the field as of this summer.
“With this training, we want to enable candidates from Brussels with fewer opportunities on the labour market to prepare for a job at the airport. This fits in perfectly with the “Rekruteren Binnen De Ring” campaign that we launched last year with the VDAB. With this campaign, we want more employers in the Brussels periphery to also consider Brussels residents when looking for future employees. They don’t do it automatically yet. Conversely, job seekers in Brussels do not always have the reflex to look outside of Brussels. We are therefore making sure that they are found more easily, including through this type of initiative”, explains Caroline Mancel, Deputy CEO of Actiris.
Be ready for the summer season
By the summer season, Aviato and its partners aim to train 100 candidates from Brussels. Nine training sessions are already planned, with an average of 10 candidates registered for each session. With the high success rate recorded for this training, the partners are convinced that this will allow Alyzia to have enough personnel on board to cope with the busy summer period at Brussels Airport.
“I have one ambition: to put more people from Brussels to work, whether in Brussels, Wallonia or Flanders. Moreover, I have set a goal: each year, to employ 2,000 additional Brussels residents in Flanders, with a 10% increase each year. By uniting public services and private companies, we create tailor-made training courses with the promise of employment as a result! Currently, 53,000 Brussels residents cross the Brussels borders every morning to work in Flanders. The employment opportunities are real and this figure must increase. It is thanks to this type of project, to train 100 Brussels residents in the baggage handling profession, that we will succeed”, adds Bernard Clerfayt, Brussels Minister for Employment and Vocational Training.
Since January 2023, the training has been supplemented by Dutch lessons. Candidates from Brussels will be immersed for several days in the Dutch language and, more particularly, in airport jargon. This knowledge of the language is crucial for safety and is also not unimportant for integration and well-being at work.
This concept provides that each partner has his responsibilities. Aviato, the job centre at Brussels Airport, is responsible for promoting the programme as well as finding and selecting candidates. Aviato Academy is responsible for theoretical and practical training. The hiring company then offers a job to the trained candidates. As part of this collaboration, Actiris, Bruxelles Formation and the VDAB finance the entire programme.
“This public-private partnership is essential for access to employment for job seekers in Brussels. The success of this training is there and we are proud to be able to contribute to it, by supporting the trainees’ training path towards success. We can also announce that this partnership has been renewed in 2023. The airport jobs at Brussels Airport represent a real opportunity for job seekers in Brussels,” says Olivia P’Tito – Managing Director of Bruxelles Formation
