Starting this week, employees at Miami International Airport (MIA) will begin to take part in “Miami Begins with MIA,” a specialized customer service and hospitality training class developed by the Miami-Dade Aviation Department (MDAD), the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau (GMCVB), the Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority (MBVCA) and the Miami-Dade College Center for Service Excellence.

Before receiving their airport identification badges, all 35,000-plus employees at MIA will now be required to undergo the training course, which emphasizes how each airport employee plays a key role in the visitor experience from arrival to departure.  MIA is the front door for Greater Miami and the Beaches, welcoming 95 percent of all visitors to the area each year.

This is the first partnership at a large U.S. airport combining local aviation and tourism agencies and an academic institution to provide customer service training to an entire airport workforce.  “Miami Begins with MIA” is a component of the GMCVB’s “Miami Begins with Me” program.