OREANDA-NEWS. September 24, 2015. SkyGame Practice, an on-the-job business game for future aviators – the first-ever in the aviation industry - finished at Moscow Domodedovo Airport. The event attracted more than 400 participants, including students of industry-related high schools, experts of the WorldSkills Russia movement, representatives of the Ministry for Education of the Russian Federation and regional ministries for education.

In the framework of the SkyGame Practice, three mini airports were opened on the territory of DME. The total area dedicated to the event covered more than 40 thous. sq. m. and the Game itself engaged around 20 aerodrome vehicles, including steps, bridges, load lifting devices, highloaders, fuel tanker trucks and apron buses.

‘The most impressive thing about the event is its scope. If we look at how the WorldSkills movement evolved, it is all about detecting the most qualified person in the profession by means of practical competition. Such contests allow students to obtain powerful practical competencies. It is another form of approach to the profession, career and presentation of professions relating to airport activities,’ Pavel Chernykh, a technical delegate of the Russian Federation in WorldSkills International and director of WorldSkills Russia, said.

The key peculiarity of the Game became the complete immersion in the professional life – from built terminals to the reproduction of complete technological chains of passenger and aircraft handling.

The students mastered more than 30 professions that are required for uninterrupted and high-quality work of an airport. Young specialists drove aerodrome vehicles, performed the check-in and pre-flight inspection of passengers and handled three true aircraft before departure: a jet Boeing 767, a Boeing 737 and a legendary Boeing 767 – the first-ever long-range double-deck wide-body passenger aircraft.

Essentially, the SlyGame simulated the full-scale eco system of the aviation business with due account for legal, financial, economic and technological requirements to airport activities.

Nataliya Zolotareva, the director of the department for state policy in the area of working personnel training and continuous professional education of the Ministry for Education and Science of the Russian Federation, who visited this event, welcomed the format of the SkyGame Practice designed to develop practical skills.

‘One of key principles accepted by us for development of education is cooperation of authorities, educational institutions and business players. The enhancement of practical orientation of the learning process is an important task of modern education,’ Nataliya Zolotareva said.

This principle was implemented in the Game, among other things through using by students of industry information systems that most closely approximate the ones installed at the Airport.

For example, students used the RMS (Recourse Management System) for the operating management of airport services. This system plans disposal of airport resources - parking lots, check-in desks, gates - and allows to distribute tasks among employees on-line.

To be able work in this system, students were given protected mobile devices, just like it happens on a normal working day according to standard procedures at Moscow Domodedovo Airport. These gadgets can withstand a fall from the height of 2 meters and are dust- and moisture-proof as per IP64 standard (equating to the complete protection from dust in any quantity, as well from water spray directed at any angle). This very device is used to receive tasks related to aircraft handling.

‘Today we have seen in practice what is spoken about on the state level: we need to have popular professions, and qualifications thereto must meet international standards. And whereas it is still only the talk of town elsewhere, employees of Moscow Domodedovo Airport have shown how to walk the talk,’ Marina Zakharova, the Minister for Education of Moscow Region, noted.

As is known, aviation is the most high-tech mode of transportation. Thus, specialists with more than 1.5 thousand professions subject to certification work at the airport.

That is why the preparation of students to the Game took more than 2 months. Future aviators first passed special trainings in 44 courses – from aviation security to management of airport operating shifts. In total, the volume of practical trainings exceeded 2.5 thousand academic hours.

More than 200 students divided in three teams took part in the Game. The task of every team was the victory in the competition by means of efficient airport management. Similarly to the real business world, stakes were high - the prestige, success and profits were all put on the line.

The competitive principle of the event was as transparent and close to reality as possible, with every airport team starting with a positive cash balance and looking to perform all tasks to the maximum effect in order to save the capital. The list of performed operations, the balance of game monetary funds and many other indices of team activities could be seen on-line on plasma screens located in the head office of the SkyGame Practice.

Compliance with execution of technological requirements was monitored by airport specialists, including top managers of the company.

Cargo registration, catering production management, book keeping, automation of aircraft service processes, mobile work stations of the inspectors, presentation of information on displays were all made possible by staff of Domodedovo Integration (DI), the entity that was responsible for software origination (part of DME Group of companies).

‘The quality of students’ performance was monitored by an inspector being an active airport employee, who filled in a check list for compliance with technologies. Every demerit point cost money. Every airborne or delayed flight also cost money – either in the positive or in the negative sense,’ Gennady Zalutsky, DI Managing Director, explained.

Especially it is worth noting that the organization of terminals and passenger service in the SkyGame Practice was arranged in line with principles of accessible environment. According to best world practice, the students learned to provide comfort for disabled people of different categories at the airport: 

  • "WCHR" — Passengers who can ascend and descend steps and move in the aircraft cabin but who require a wheelchair for distance to/from the aircraft.
  • "WCHS" — Passengers who cannot ascend and descend steps, needs help to be carried up/down the steps.
  • "WCHC" — Passengers need assistance for distance to/from the aircraft, up/down the steps and for movement inside the aircraft cabin.

This year SkyGame Practice attracted students of high schools partnering with the airport - Russian State University of Humanities, Moscow State Industrial University, Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia, “Moscovia” College.

‘For the entire two days our team was significantly behind the two other airports. On the last day, it took us 2 rounds to do the unthinkable – to beat our rivals! We have learned to work in unusual situations as a close-knit team. I study at the Transport Service Faculty and after the victory I got even more convinced that I want to connect my life with Moscow Domodedovo Airport forever,’ Ekaterina Gyska, director of one of the three game airports that won in the SkyGame Practice, expresses her impressions.

Market success directly depends on development of the company’s intellectual capital. In this connection, the professional orientation of pupils and engagement of most talented students in the industry is the priority HR policy of Moscow Domodedovo Airport as the long-term leader of the industry. In contrast to the commodity-driven business, airport activity participants do not exploit natural resources – they operate creations of the human mind and intellect.

The SkyGame Practice is a practical integral part of the ‘Influx’ programme. The programme has been in place at Moscow Domodedovo Airport since 2000 and is aimed at industry-specific training of young specialists. Now it spans more than 3000 participants. It is an opportunity for pupils and students to obtain professional knowledge, get understanding of the structure, field of activities and corporate culture of the company. New partners of Moscow Domodedovo Airport partaking in the programme include the Domodedovo branch of Russian State University of Humanities , the Moscow State Food Production University, the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia, the professional college “Moscovia”, the Humanitarian College supported by the Domodedovo branch of Russian State University of Humanities, the Moscow “TSARITSYNO” College for Management, Hotel Business & Information Technologies.

Moscow Domodedovo Airport is the largest Russian airport, in 2014 the airport serviced 33.04 mln. passengers. It is the best Russian and CIS airport according to Skytrax. Moscow Domodedovo Airport is airport of choice in the Moscow Aviation Hub for leading world airline alliances – Star Alliance and oneworld.