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Behind the scenes: airBaltic Leadership Academy
The airBaltic Leadership Academy, launched in 2020 as the ALFA programme, has grown into a platform for leadership development. It offers diverse opportunities, including the Leadership Programme, Personal Development Programme, Coaching, ALFA Talks, and the Assessment Centre. These initiatives provide a comprehensive approach to leadership, helping employees achieve their career goals and contributing to long-term success.
Approximately 260 managers and high-potential employees are currently enrolled in the programme, including 32 new participants, who joined this September. Feedback has been very positive, highlighting the Academy’s ability to sharpen leadership skills, provide practical management tools, and offer valuable insights that improve decision-making and team management.
Blending innovation with hands-on learning, the Academy offers a unique combination of e-learning, practical workshops, and leadership development guided by airBaltic’s experienced leaders and internal trainers. With 37 courses ranging from leadership essentials to specialised skills, the Academy equips participants with the tools they need to thrive in a continuously evolving professional landscape – whether in aviation or beyond.
LEADERSHIP PROGRAMME
The Leadership Programme is the core of the airBaltic Leadership Academy, aimed at fostering the company’s future growth. It focuses on three pillars: Leading Yourself, Leading People, and Leading Business and Change. With around 260 participants (194 managers and 66 high-potential employees), the programme is set to produce its first graduates in 2025.
Who can apply?
Current managers and high-potential employees identified through the Assessment Centre process can join, selected for their leadership potential and ability to apply best practices.
Benefits:
Participants develop skills to enhance collaboration, drive innovation, and inspire teams through a blend of e-learning, workshops, and hands-on training.
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
The Personal Development Programme is open to all airBaltic employees, supporting both personal and professional growth. Since 2021, it has offered 17 courses to around 900 students, led by 14 internal trainers. The focus is on self-awareness, communication skills, and personal effectiveness.
Who can apply:
All employees, regardless of role, can join.
Benefits:
The programme offers e-learning, workshops, coaching, access to the airBaltic Library, and ALFA Talks, promoting ongoing growth and helping participants improve performance, manage stress, and set goals.
COACHING PROGRAMME
The Coaching Programme provides personalised, one-on-one coaching to enhance leadership and personal development. Launched in 2021, it has supported over 100 clients with nine certified coaches, including two team coaches accredited by the European Coach Federation (ECF).
Who can apply:
All employees seeking personal or professional growth.
Benefits:
Coaching sessions offer tailored guidance to overcome challenges, improve decision-making, and build confidence. Team coaching further enhances collaboration. Participants report positive impacts on their development and contributions to the company’s success.
MORE THAN AN ACADEMY
It’s much more than a leadership development programme – it’s a celebration of internal talent, innovation, and growth. Since its launch in 2020, the airBaltic Leadership Academy has evolved into a dynamic platform blending leadership training with creativity and personal development. Each year begins with an Opening Event, at which we also celebrate achievements, feature expert speakers, and showcase the talents of our own employees. From performances by saxophonists to a guitarist and a violinist – all airBaltic employees – our events highlight the hidden talents in our company. These musical interludes add a personal, vibrant touch to the formal learning process, making every gathering memorable.
IS THE AIRBALTIC LEADERSHIP ACADEMY ACCESSIBLE TO EXTERNAL COMPANIES?
Yes, as the company expands, the Academy is opening all aspects to external partners, offering a unique opportunity for other organisations to benefit from airBaltic’s tailored leadership and personal development programmes.
Why is this beneficial to other companies?
The airBaltic Leadership Academy is designed for leaders at all stages of their careers and offers a range of programmes and opportunities to enhance leadership capabilities. With 37 courses, the Academy focuses on essential leadership skills across three main modules:
• Leading Yourself: personal development, emotional intelligence, time management, communication skills, etc.
• Leading People: team leadership, conflict resolution, performance management, talent development, etc.
• Leading Business & Change: strategic management, innovation, project management, change leadership, etc.
The Academy also offers a Personal Development Programme, Coaching Programme, and Experience Exchange Workshops in many areas in which airBaltic has extensive experience or has received international recognition.
Who are the trainers?
The courses are conducted by a mix of 21 internal trainers from airBaltic and external experts who are leaders in their respective fields. They ensure each session is highly interactive, practical, and tailored to the needs of participants.
Customisable and flexible
Your company can choose courses and formats that suit its specific leadership and business development needs. Sessions can be delivered online or in person, ensuring maximum flexibility for your organisation.
Helga Kenebuka, flight attendant, and a trainer with the Academy
Helga has been working as a flight attendant at airBaltic for 10 years, but she has also been a trainer at the airBaltic Leadership Academy for several years. She teaches courses in communication, conflict resolution, and team motivation. At first, trainers were sought internally, within the company, and Helga answered the call. ‘I felt I had to be part of ALFA, as it was called back then,’ she says, adding that, because she had never before conducted training for adults, her enthusiasm went hand in hand with fear.
Helga had already begun a self-development practice in her own life five years before ALFA was founded. ‘When you’re at a low point in your life, you have to make a choice: either you really have to change, or you give up. I made the choice to change my life and my assumptions, believing that my past should not be a determining factor for my future,’ she explains. ‘Communication courses and books were the main things that helped me understand these things. So when I saw the communication course at ALFA, I knew that was going to be my topic.’
‘The topics, the exercises, and the solutions are all based on the path I have followed so far,’ Helga continues. ‘I share with others only what I have done and experienced myself. When looking for new ideas for course material, I do not exclude online resources and podcasts, but for the most part my programme is based on proven experience.’
Helga always finds it fascinating to meet people – to see the huge revelation in their eyes when they finally understand something new about themselves. Or, conversely, seeing that perhaps they do not agree with, and do not want to accept, what is being said. But even situations like that have space for discussion. Just like in a flight attendant’s job, where no two days are the same, a trainer can also never predict exactly what information will be most relevant for a particular group or individual or what discussions will emerge.
‘Looking back at the first activity I conducted, I realise how much I’ve grown in my teaching skills, in my understanding of the psychology of people, and in my confidence,’ Helga says. ‘This experience has even led me to take a course in acting, which continues the work I’ve begun towards becoming a better and more effective communicator. This experience has also changed my overall development as a person. We can always become better and more effective; it’s a never-ending journey for a student. I’m also still a student myself, and I’m happy about that.’