RedBeat Academy partners Google for digital upskilling and reskilling

• 5 different learning paths for up to 800 employees per session
• Plans to open up to public in future, provide sufficient skill sets

Since the work-from-home (WFH) drive started in mid-March, AirAsia has leveraged on its RedBeat Academy to upskill its workforce. Over 1,000 AirAsia Allstars (employees) from various functions, including pilots and cabin crew have enrolled with RedBeat Academy. Lessons covering five different learning paths have commenced in webinar format involving up to 800 employees per session.

“RedBeat Academy is a collaboration between Red Beat Ventures and Google. The discussion started last year as we truly believe that it is important to keep our workforce relevant to the ever-changing requirements of the digital economy that we see ourselves in right now,” said Aireen Omar (pic, below right) the president of RedBeat Ventures at AirAsia Group.

“And this process has been accelerated by this sudden pandemic outbreak, which has in some ways ‘imprisoned’ many of us to the confines of our own homes. But every cloud has a silver lining, and we took the opportunity to launch RedBeat Academy to our Allstars across the region, allowing them to reskill and upskill even during this period of time,” she adds.

Over 1,000 AirAsia employees from various functions, including pilots and cabin crew have signed up to be part of RedBeat Academy, signifying a strong hunger for learning across the organisation aside from a workforce who share the company’s digital vision. Each employee will receive a certification from Google upon completion. They are able to follow learning paths from various topics:

• ICT & Cloud Architecture
• Data Analytics/Engineering/Science
• IT Security, Cyber Security
• Marketing, Products
• Product UI/UX

The Redbeat Academy also hosts other WFH activities which include cooking lessons, exercise classes, and origami sessions in addition to reskilling and upskilling opportunities for digital skill sets to navigate through an increasingly new business landscape especially in a post Covid-19 environment.

To sign up for RedBeat Academy, Aireen says employees need not come from a tech background. “They go through a simple process of filling up an assessment form, mainly for us to gauge their level of comfort in adapting to roles involving tech, as well as their appetite towards digital knowledge.”

Expressing her delight at the overwhelming response from employees, she notes, “In times such as these, resting on our laurels is not an option and continuous learning is crucial to ensure that the company can cope with the fast-changing business landscape as we enter into unchartered territories.”

In fact, Aireen shared that future plans are to open up RedBeat Academy to the public. “This will help all of us to ensure that the market will have a sufficient workforce with the right skill sets to take on any challenges in the digital economy.”

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