The adoption of drone technology by public safety, countless commercial industry segments, military and government organizations, and the general public has created a large need for educated, trained and certified drone operators and other related positions throughout the drone ecosystem. Additionally, the north Texas marketplace has become a hot bed for proof-of-concept activities related to consumer drone delivery services, powered by industry leaders Zipline®, Google’s Wing®, WalMart®, and others.  The Dallas/Ft. Worth test market is designed to provide real world operations and data that will assist the FAA in developing Universal Traffic Management (UTM) rules that will allow widespread drone operations around the country without special authorizations or expensive ground-based infrastructure.

USI President and CEO, Josh Olds, remarked “We spent the greater part of 2024 getting to know Dallas College, their staff and management team.  It was incredibly impressive to witness firsthand the passion that they all carry related to developing and offering programs that provide their students with job ready knowledge and skills that will translate into exciting and rewarding career opportunities.” Olds added, “The drone industry is evolving in front of our eyes, and the FAA is working hard to establish rules and regulations designed to safely allow these aircraft to perform more complex and valuable missions for their operators.  These new regulations will further accelerate the growth of the industry and the need for skilled workers. USI certifications are aligned with FAA requirements and additionally they are consistent with internationally recognized best practices standards and endorsed by aviation insurance underwriters.  USI uses the exact same training and certification program for our commercial customers, which translates into immediate recognition and respect when they review applications for new drone staff members.”

“Dallas College has built a strong reputation for providing accessible, high-quality educational opportunities that empower individuals and support workforce needs, driving regional and national economic growth,” said Dr. Shawnda Floyd, provost at Dallas College. “We are so pleased to be partnering with USI to provide this new drone program that will produce industry ready candidates for this emerging aerospace industry.” 

Dallas College will be offering a series of free introductory programs designed to allow participants to prepare for their FAA Part 107 Certification, a requirement for anyone operating drones in a commercial environment.  The first workshop starts April 7, 2025 and you can find more information and registration information here: www.UASBootcamp.com. 

About Dallas College: Celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2025, Dallas College consists of seven campuses — Brookhaven, Cedar Valley, Eastfield, El Centro, Mountain View, North Lake and Richland — plus a dozen centers located throughout Dallas County. As one of the largest community colleges in the U.S., Dallas College offers online and in-person learning, serving more than 127,000 credit, workforce and continuing education students annually. Students benefit from partnerships with local school districts, four-year universities, industry and community leaders. Dallas College offers associate degrees and career/technical certificate programs in more than 100 areas of study, as well as bachelor’s degrees in education and nursing. As the largest provider of dual credit in Texas, Dallas College serves 30,000 high school students through 63 dual credit programs.

Learn more at www.DallasCollege.edu 

About USI: Unmanned Safety Institute (USI) is the industry’s most widely recognized leader in flight safety solutions for individuals, academia and organizations focused on integrating and operating UAS for civil or commercial purposes. USI provides UAS flight safety training and certification to operational standards based on the adoption and modification of time-honored aviation safety practices. 

With more than 300 instructors and over 20,000 USI Certifications awarded around the world, USI works with large commercial enterprises and nearly 500 schools in all 50 states. USI is the global leader in commercial and academic UAS workforce development and certification, delivering the most highly regarded training program of its kind. USI offers Primary, Advanced and Complex training and certification programs that are applicable to VLOS, BVLOS and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) operations.

USI’s training and certification programs are endorsed by major aviation insurance providers and implemented nationwide as a workforce pathway program from secondary or post-secondary to the career field to align skillsets to industry pay scales.

Discover more at www.FlyUSI.org. 

Source: Press Release