Discovering the professional world of an airport
On 10.04.2025, 120 pupils from Sint-Jans College in Heerlen (NL) visited Liège Airport in Liège. The project partners Basse-Meuse Développement and Meet the Youngsters organized this day together with those responsible at Liège Airport as part of the Interreg VI project “Connect’ED”, which aims to give young people in the Euregio Meuse-Rhine (EMR) an understanding of the various career opportunities in the five sub-regions of the EMR.
On site, the students were offered five different workshops that presented the various professions that keep an airport running. In addition to logistics expert, cargo officer and facility manager, the perspectives in the professions of pilot and aircraft mechanic were also presented by skilled employees of Liège Airport. Whether security or cleaning staff, or support and infrastructure personnel, the enormous variety of activities and the skills required for them were made clear.
This first part of the visit allowed the students to discover the many aspects of airport operations. Among other things, that one field (e.g. logistics) includes several specialised professions, which also require special training.
Bus tour of Liège Airport
Afterwards, there was a tour of the extensive area of Liège Airport, formerly a NATO airbase. After passing through the security checkpoint, the students boarded the bus, which drove them across the expiring site past the enormous warehouses.
With the additional presentation of the enormous figures relating to freight transport, the complexity of the entire infrastructure was illustrated once again.
Challenges for the future
Online shopping alone means that more and more consumer goods are passing through Liège Airport, but climate change is also calling for a reorganisation and reorientation in terms of technology. Liège Airport will therefore continue to offer career opportunities, not only in manual, technical areas, but also in administration, logistics, IT, etc.
In the end, the students of Sint-Jans College Heerlen were able to get a first impression of the numerous career opportunities on the other side of their region.
