(left to right): Dudley Light, regional director, U.S. Department of Labor; Sean Donohue, CEO, DFW International Airport; Dr. Joe May, DCCCD chancellor; and Julian Alvarez III, commissioner representing labor, Texas Workforce Commission.
Contact: Ann Hatch
214-378-1819;
ahatch@dcccd.edu
For immediate release — April 29, 2019
(DALLAS) — Representatives from the Dallas County Community College District and the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport announced their new partnership last week with the launch of the state’s first Department of Labor-registered airport apprenticeship.
The new pilot program is designed to promote internal growth among airport employees and sustain a skilled workforce in the construction and maintenance industry.
“Nationally, apprenticeship programs are growing, and our partnership with DFW International Airport reflects that trend as well as the need to have a skilled workforce in this field,” said Dr. Joe May, DCCCD’s chancellor.
He added, “We are focused on growing our workforce development efforts and on creating more job opportunities for Dallas County residents with partners like DFW Airport. This apprenticeship agreement, which focuses on the construction and maintenance industry, is a win-win situation for our students, business and the community.”
The program includes a one-year facility manager/facilities services supervisor training program taught by a qualified, experienced DCCCD faculty member. Participants will earn a certificate with the opportunity to convert it to college credit. All classes will be held at DFW Airport’s corporate headquarters (or on the West Campus of North Lake College, where construction management and construction technology programs are taught). The apprenticeship program will be offered at no cost to airport employees.
“DFW continues to invest in new learning and development opportunities that enable our employees to grow their careers at the airport,” said Linda Valdez Thompson, DFW’s executive vice president of administration and diversity.
Thompson added, “This partnership with DCCCD will allow our employees to enhance their professional skills and will build a stronger, more skilled DFW Airport workforce.”
The first cohort will include current, full-time employees and/or newly hired staff. Apprentices will complete 300 hours of classroom instruction during the one-year program.
“The goal of this program is to build a customizable, registered apprenticeship program for DFW International Airport as an employer which addresses a specific role, economic demands and needs for experienced workers,” said Joyce Williams, DCCCD’s associate vice chancellor for workforce and economic development.
Currently, DCCCD partners with 25 registered and industry-recognized apprenticeship programs that serve approximately 1,600 students. Mark Hays, DCCCD’s vice chancellor for workforce and economic development, projects that the district will enroll 50,000 apprentices by 2030.
DFW Airport currently has more than 2,000 full-time employees. More than 60,000 people work on airport property with airlines, contractors and business partners. Additionally, more than 69 million customers travel through the airport annually, making DFW International Airport one of the most frequently visited superhub airports in the world.
The airport also serves as a major economic generator for the North Texas region, producing more than $37 billion in economic impact each year by connecting people through business and leisure travel.
DCCCD comprises seven individually accredited institutions: Brookhaven, Cedar Valley, Eastfield, El Centro, Mountain View, North Lake and Richland colleges. DCCCD serves more than 80,000 credit and 25,000 continuing education students each semester.
For more information, contact Karrie O’Neal, DCCCD’s program manager for apprenticeships, by email at
karrie.oneal@dcccd.edu or by phone at 214-378-1724; or Cynthia Vega, media relations manager for DFW International Airport, at
cyvega@dfwairport.com or at 214-707-2471.
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