Exciting opportunities are possible for anyone interested in learning the ins and outs of working with drones.

Through the successful Adult, Community and Further Education (ACFE) Board’s Capacity and Innovation grant, Learn Local organisations, Buchan Neighbourhood House and Warragul Community House, have partnered to develop a course in pre-accredited training using drones for the purpose of teaching STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) for young people in Gippsland. This course aims to explore the real-world application of drone technologies.

The Drones: the New Digital Literacy program concept came after identifying a need to develop a course that explains regulatory requirements, and is accessible for participants interested in upskilling or reskilling, or for young people who have not completed year 12.

“We want to bring the excitement of using drone technology into the training room to make learning enjoyable and relevant and to engage the learner with tools that will entice and reinvigorate their learning aspirations,” Buchan Neighbourhood House coordinator, Evelyn Schmidt, said.

“Employment opportunities using drones are the future with a prediction that this is one of the future growth industries for employment and covers many different industries including film sets, inspecting assets, photography, search and rescue, construction mining, manufacturing, medicine, agriculture and even drone racing.”

THE COURSE

Drones: the New Digital Literacy is a 60-hour course with the aim to introduce drone technologies and how to use them. This will include compliance and regulatory obligations.

Each week learners will be exposed to aspects of drone education, completing a workshop/task before operating the drones, and leading up to building and flying a drone. Each session will be for five hours twice a week over six weeks. Learners will also blog about their experiences and have the opportunity to develop a video log of their experiences.

The knowledge gained through Drones: the New Digital Literacy can lead to pathways including a commercial UAV pilot’s licence, a certificate III in photography/video, and employment opportunities including software developer/technician/operators/tourism/business marketing or professional drone racing.

A study by PwC in July 2017 estimated the potential value generated by drones can climb to $127 billion in the near future. There has been a vast increase in the numbers of drones over the last five years, a number that is expected to increase 10-fold globally to almost 68 million by 2020.
“Education and training in drone usage is paramount for Australia to ensure we stay current with technology for now and the future,” Evelyn said.

Open to young people, unemployed and underemployed job seekers, the Drones: the New Digital Literacy course will be held from February 26 to April 3 at The Hub, Dalmahoy Street, Bairnsdale.

For further information on the Drones: the New Digital Literacy course contact Buchan Neighbourhood House.

PICTURED: Buchan Neighbourhood House coordinator, Evelyn Schmidt, and course instructor, James Muir, are excited to be presenting Drones: the New Digital Literacy 10-week program, set to commence at The Hub in Bairnsdale later this month.