The High School CTE UAS Training Workshop through the Virginia Pilot Pathway UAS Training Program will increase and diversify the UAS pilot workforce through high school CTE teacher professional development. This will result in the recruitment of more students into the pipeline and by building high school teacher capacity to prepare the workforce. The project will target increasing the number of UAS pilots trained and certified to fly small UAS (sUAS), defined as UAS weighing between .55 lbs. and 55 lbs. at takeoff. Under FAA Part 107 regulations, a person flying a sUAS commercially must have an RPC. Twenty teachers will obtain their RPC and will receive classroom-ready instructional resources allowing them to prepare more than 300 high school students to obtain their RPC in the award period alone. High school teachers will also be able to apply for mini-grants of up to $2,500 through the project to procure UAS, sensors, and related supplies necessary to teach the course. Applications are being accepted through February 11, 2022. The workshop itself will take place at Virginia Tech (June 26-30). This workforce development opportunity is funded through the FAA and administered through the Virginia Space Grant Consortium. Registration and additional information is available from here.
