The approach aims to speed up career mobility and remove barriers
Delta Air Lines has announced that it is taking a "skills-first" strategy in its recruitment process to fill 25% of the company's corporate and managerial roles with workers from the frontline.
"At Delta Air Lines, we have been listening and learning from our people to become a better, more equitable company. I'm proud to say that not only have we been listening, but we've been taking action. We're boldly pursuing equity and equity is the motive," said Delta chief executive officer Ed Bastian on a LinkedIn post.
"Our commitments are being realised through a 'skills-first' focus: programmes to develop our employees and give them the resources to excel."
It follows the company's announcement last year that it is removing "unnecessary barriers," including college degrees, in hiring candidates into certain roles. It led to 94% of Delta's non-executive job openings not requiring a college degree in 2021, bringing forward a diversified population for its frontline employees.
Now, the company set a long-term goal of filling 25% of its corporate and management roles with current talent among customer-facing employees.
To help its frontline employees develop, Delta announced a "skills-first" approach that removes career barriers of four-year degrees to give workers access to higher-earning jobs in the company.
"Delta's frontline employees are our most diverse population. We know they bring invaluable skillsets and expertise," said Ashley Black, Delta’s Director of Equity Strategies, in a statement.
"We also know that a variety of barriers to college degrees have for too long kept certain roles out of reach. We're working to bridge the gap through new programs so that we don’t continue to miss out on this vital talent."
The skills-based mindset seeks to accelerate career mobility for employees and remove barriers to certain corporate career roles. It also saw the pilot of the company's internal Apprenticeship Programme.
Read more: Delta Air Lines CEO rewards workers with free global travel
Delta said this initiative focuses on hiring, developing, and promoting employees who have the relevant skills and experience for open riles within the company. It immerses employees under an apprenticeship period where they also earn while learning from the experience, ending with the talent transitioning into the next team.
The training period lasts up to two years, according to Delta, with leadership coaching and mentoring, as well as on-the-job learning and support.
Employees are allowed to enrol in roles in human resources, revenue management, information technology, and finance/corporate audit, while leaders will be granted skills-based training and a leader toolkit for coaching.
Another "skills-first" programme is Delta's Analytics Academy, available for Atlanta-based Delta employees so they can acquire tools in the analytics field without traditional education or cost barriers.
According to Delta, students of the said academy said it will be immersed in a virtual learning environment with an analytics leader as a coach. The programme will help employees move to an analytics position, as well as get a guaranteed interview as the company attempts to meet its 25% front line talent in corporate and management roles.
"The goal is to expand the offering beyond Atlanta to all U.S.-based employees," said the company in its announcement.
Keyra Johnson, Delta's chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer, acknowledged in a LinkedIn post that more needs to be done as the company tries to achieve its goals.
"Still, I'm #DeltaProud that we are boldly pursuing equity in so many ways - not just for Delta's sake, but for society's sake," Johnson said.
