invest in communication with new employees, especially via the website, because today, people will look at websites to help them determine if the company is one they would like to work for.” A website can also convey an orga- nization’s culture, which Duncan said is very strong in the business aircraft MRO industry. “It’s a big part of what we are and how we define ourselves.” An integral part of Duncan Aviation’s culture is opportunity. “We try to stress the long-term career opportunities by providing solid examples of where a position with Duncan Aviation will lead and what their jobs will look like three, five and seven years in the future. In that regard, we have over 300 team members who have over 25 years of employment with Duncan Aviation. One of the reasons for this is that we offer a career path with flexibility. There are opportunities to do a vari- ety of work, such as getting into sales. We let potential recruits know that they may not be doing the same job years from now that they did when they started.” Elaine Lapotosky Senior Director for Staffing Jet Aviation, Teterboro, New Jersey One of the world’s largest busi- ness aviation companies, Jet Aviation was founded in Basel, Switzerland, 50 years ago. Operating as an inde- pendent business unit within the General Dynamics group since 2008, Jet Aviation has a global footprint in aircraft management, charter, maintenance and FBOs, with facilities in Europe, the US, Middle East, Asia and the Caribbean. Based at its Teterboro, New Jersey location, Elaine Lapotosky, Jet Aviation’s Senior Director for Staffing, has oversight of talent acquisition, including pilots, technicians, cabin crews and line service staff. One of the biggest challenges she cited with attracting people to business aviation is the perception that, as a career, it can be perceived as out of reach. “Commercial aviation has greater exposure to the public as most young people would have flown at some point in their lives,” she noted. “Business aviation may still be per- ceived as ‘cool’ but not accessible to the masses.” As Lapotosky points out, not only do pilots have to pay for training to get their ratings, but they also need a minimum number of (flight) hours just to get in the door of a Part 135 charter or Part 91 corporate flying operation. “It’s much the same with technicians,” she said. “They pay a lot of money to go to aviation technical schools to learn the skills, but there is no set guidance on how to obtain a job at the end of their training.” According to Lapotosky, business aviation as an industry has room to grow in promoting itself as a career. “I think what we’ve managed to do is concentrate on the value of business aircraft as a tool of doing business, but we have a great story to tell by highlighting the career opportuni- ties—and the people doing those jobs—in support of the aircraft,” she stressed. One way that Jet Aviation is promoting career opportunities, said Lapotosky, is through testimoni- als of industry professionals. As an example, she pointed out that she and her staff recently attended an event at Flying W Airport in New Jersey, sponsored by Women in Aviation International. “The first ‘Girls in Aviation Day’ in New Jersey showed 100 grade-school students the variety of career oppor- tunities available to them in the avia- tion industry,” she said. “Jet Aviation is a company that knows the value of women in aviation. There are many other untapped organizations that are willing and able to promote the value of business aviation.” As Lapotosky noted, a genera- tional shift will take place within the next 10-15 years as people transition to retirement. That group, she said, could make excellent mentors—now— for young people who want to enter the industry. “There’s an industry need to develop apprenticeship pro- grams to coach young people on what their career steps need to be,” she remarked. Lapotosky also recommends that when seeking new talent, the industry needs to look at more than hours and ratings. “With any skillset you would hire, you have to consider what the appli- cant finds of value and try to match that person’s values with what the company has to offer,” she said. “For pilots, for example, this might include the aircraft they are interested in fly- ing, the company’s scheduling process and the locations, as well as benefits and growth opportunities. With that being determined, is your organiza- tion the one in which they really Continued on page 18 Aviation Business Journal | 4th Quarter 2018 17
