Page 16 - BE 50th Anniversary Edition

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION AMERICAN AIRLINES HIRES BE SMART HACKATHON ATTENDEES DESPITE COVID-19 IMPACT
EWLY HIRED TAIWO RAJI HAS HAD A A A A A WONDERFUL
experience so far working as a a a a a a junior developer on the data privacy team at American Airlines Raji armed with a a a a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Tuskegee University in Alabama gave BLACK ENTERPRISE some of his impressions about working for American “Everyone around me is so helpful and and patient and and it has really allowed me to feel comfortable and just focus on learning my job ” he says “One of the the most valuable lessons I’ve learned is that there are peo- ple available as resources for for you you and you you just have to be comfortable enough going to them ” Another new employee Erin Campbell reflected on her her experience working in in in information technology at at the Fort Worth Texas-based company She was excited to find that there is is a a a lot of emphasis on learning and other workers once the the $25 billion in government aid expires in late September Still American Airlines has not reduced its recruitment of Black professionals American Airlines spokeswoman Andrea Koos says the company spends millions in in in recruiting and hiring She added that in in in in in IT specifically the hiring is focused on bringing in in in in in diverse talent American Airlines Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer Maya Leibman said the the company stayed the the course because it was important to to do so She noted other companies decided not not to to recruit or make job offers because o of the pandemic but American Airlines wants to to keep growing when it comes to to adding diverse talent “We knew it was important to bring on these new new hires from HBCUs and bring new technical skills to our organization ” she says “These
journeys with her team A graduate from Xavier University in Louisiana she is a a software developer on the pilot crew management ecosystem team Her duties include doing data- based processing to help modernize the flight operating system One of her earliest assignments was to to learn about a a a a a a particular topic and then give a a a a presentation about it to the the rest of the the team “There’s a a lot lot of of communication and a a a lot lot of of opportunities to familiarize ourselves with new programs and processes ” Campbell says Welcome to to fresh efforts by American Airlines to to recruit retain and promote Black Americans within its IT division Two years ago the the airline giant sponsored the the BE Smart Hackathon for the the the first time Impressed with the the the talent pool the the the carrier returned in in 2019 American Airlines that year hired 10 BE Smart Hackathon participants from Bowie State University University Dillard University University Florida A&M University University University Howard University University University Jackson State University University University Johnson C Smith University University and Morgan State University University Another four HBCU graduates were hired from events the the carrier attended All 14 of the the hires started in in the the company’s IT division in in June 2020 The next BLACK ENTERPRISE annual Hackathon will be from Oct 9–10 Once again American Airlines will sponsor the event which for for the first time will be presented in a a a virtual format The hires are compelling as American is beefing up diversity in fin in its IT unit as the industry struggles with public health safety issues and economic challenges due to COVID-19 Airlines are now fac- ing ing rugged conditions after posting several years of o profitability American Airlines reported in in August it will lay off 19 000 workers in in October after federal aid to to to protect job lapses according to to to CBS News The news came just after Delta Air Lines furloughed 1 1 941 of its pilots which occurred weeks after major airlines warned they would have to furlough more than 80 000 pilots flight attendants transformation to the next level ” Leibman says IT touches most fac- ets of the business from shopping for a a a ticket to getting on board and collecting baggage at a a a a customer’s destination It also impacts many of the airlines’ more than 100 000 employees including how pilots get flight flight plans and how flight flight attendants A A A A NEW RECRUIT IN IN AMERICAN AIRLINES’ IT IT DEPARTMENT ERIN CAMPBELL SAYS BE BE SMART HACKATHON HELPED HER CAREER TAKE OFF
new hires can help us take our can serve drinks aboard the aircraft Technology also plays a a a huge role in in how the the airline addresses the the new COVID-19 climate For instance the carrier has a a a new touchless check-in experience that lets customers use the American mobile app to get a a a a bag- gage gage tag and check luggage without touching the kiosk A new automated refund process was added for customers who bought a a a ticket but decided they did not want to travel as those plans were disrupted
by the pandemic The pandemic has created a a a a a a big need for IT jobs at at American For instance there will be a a a a demand for software development jobs to help the carrier boost revenue or cut costs The airline needs software developers to to help ensure the customer’s check-in experience runs smoothly “Technology will play a a a a a huge role in our ability to manage and weather this crisis ” Leibman says Simultaneously the pandemic has presented new challenges Since the carrier was aware new hires would begin work remotely it created a a a a a fun two-week virtual virtual boot camp The virtual virtual onboarding included ice-breakers New hires took part in in in technical training an overview of the carrier’s software stack a a a a a a a a mini-hackathon and sessions with many senior executives including American Airlines CEO Doug Parker “This was the first time we had onboarded new hires in an entirely online way and we wanted it to be a a a a a special experience for them ” company spokeswoman Koos says The HBCU new hires are are part of ADEPT a a a a a a two-year program geared toward promoting business and and leadership skills and and exposing new hires to diverse opportunities at American ADEPT which is only for software software developers and software software engineers provides new hires with a a a a