Talent Management
At Delta, we equip our people to “Keep Climbing” in their careers through comprehensive training, development and mentorship opportunities. We focus on achieving equitable outcomes for all people through our merit-based approach.
In 2024, we continued to support our people’s strong interest in development opportunities. We further enhanced our iGrow online learning portal of skills-based training and career development resources, adding new growth paths and skill builders aligned with Delta's core skills and values. Additionally, we expanded our library of digital self-paced learning, incorporating more options for technical skill development, as well as content aligned with the most requested opportunities. Our people’s use of iGrow resources increased by 64% in 2024 over the prior year. In addition, 486 people completed the updated L365: Leading the Delta Way foundational leadership training program. The L365 Training focuses on three core elements: values-based leadership, building team culture, and driving individual and team performance.
Piloted the Delta Talent Hub to better understand, develop and employ our people’s skills.
2024 by the Numbers
Skills-First Approach to Talent
We believe a candidate’s skills, background and experience can be just as important as traditional education. That’s why we embrace a Skills-First approach to hiring and development, one that aims to provide all candidates and employees with merit-based access to the opportunities that can help them build a successful career at Delta. By shifting to a deep understanding of employees’ skills as equivalencies to education, Delta is able to more effectively leverage our people and connect them to more personalized and relevant development experiences.
To better understand, develop and employ our people’s skills, we piloted the Delta Talent Hub in 2024. The Delta Talent Hub pilot builds on our work in recent years to create a taxonomy of standardized skills across the enterprise and then map those skills to job families and learning content. As of 2024, the Jobs Taxonomy tool maps 482 requisite skills and proficiencies to 100% of Delta’s roles. To facilitate career development, we solidified skill sets and development paths for all of our people leader and individual contributor core skills.
Delta Talent Hub Connects Skills to Opportunity
A key foundation of our Skills-First model, the Delta Talent Hub enables employees, leaders and talent acquisition specialists alike to understand employees’ skills, identify internal job opportunities and find matches to growth roles. The technology was implemented through a limited pilot in 2024, with an enterprise-wide rollout expected in 2025.
Supported by this technology, we are equipping employees with an understanding of the skill sets that are critical for successful performance in their current roles, and the skills that will help them to be competitive for roles they aspire to. We are providing personalized learning and development recommendations based on the skills they have and the skills they want to develop. At the same time, the Delta Talent Hub provides business leaders and HR with a holistic view of our employees’ skills to support data-driven talent and recruiting decisions to build a future-ready workforce.
Hiring Assessments
To support hiring outcomes that maximize quality and equity, Delta implemented skill-based hiring assessments and interview guides for 100% of scale, merit, individual contributor and frontline leader roles in 2024. All candidates must take an assessment, such as a Virtual Job Tryout, before being considered for a role.
Digital Upskilling for Product Innovation
To enhance the skills and competencies of our people in data- and product-related roles, in 2024, Delta launched a learning framework that combines a tailored curriculum, on-the-job experience and mentorship. The initiative empowers our people in customer experience, data and business analysis, and project and product management to support innovation and agility for an improved customer experience.
Delta launched tracks for basic and intermediate learners in July and December, respectively, with plans to introduce the advanced learning experience in early 2025. As of the end of 2024, we had achieved 130 upskilled product owners out of our goal of 185 individuals by 2025.
Opening More Entry Points for Propel Career Path Program
Since 2018, the Propel Career Path Program has provided a streamlined runway for future aviators to reach the Delta flight deck, with customized training for Delta employees, college students and community partners. In 2024, the program introduced a new pathway for aspiring pilots further along in their flight training with its Certified Flight Instructor Pathway. This opens a new entry point to Propel for Delta employees and external candidates training at Propel flight schools who have already invested significant time in flight training. After completing 1,500 hours of flight instruction, a Propel participant can become a first officer at Endeavor Air, Delta’s wholly owned regional airline, and then transition to the Delta flight deck.
To further support career mobility at Delta, Propel expanded in 2024 to include the Propel Company AMT Pathway for employees looking for a new career in TechOps as Aircraft Maintenance Technicians (AMTs).