The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) has launched a new quality-assured UAS drone course following the success of a pilot programme in 2022
The new ECITB Foundation UAS drone course, created in close collaboration with the UK Drone Association, ARPAS-UK, is now officially open for training providers across the country.
The UAS drone course will support both industry and people who would like to develop their knowledge and skills to operate drones in industrial environments.
Drones have many usages across the industry
Drone use has many purposes, particularly in the oil and gas, nuclear, and renewables sectors. Worker exposure to work-at-height risks and other hazardous environments, such as the inside of storage tanks, can be significantly reduced by using drones.
Drones can also benefit the rail industry and general construction sites by mapping, tracking and surveying major projects.
Drone uptake could save the industry £3.5bn
The Skies Without Limits report released in July 2022 estimates that there could be £3.5bn predicted cost savings from drone uptake in the construction and manufacturing sectors alone. Drones can also contribute to the industry’s net-zero goals by reducing carbon emissions by 2.4 tons.
Commenting on the new UAS drone course, Andy Brown, interim CEO at the ECITB, said: “There is real demand across industry for operators who can not only pilot drones but who possess the specific and essential knowledge and skills to carry out drone operations effectively in industrial settings.
“Collaboration has been the key to getting this off the ground. Through the effective collaboration with employers, training providers and learners, we have developed this quality assured training to provide a consistent quality standard for all industrial drone operators. It will directly tackle the skills gap, support employers to train and upskill their workforce and meet that identified need across industry.”
The pilot programme was attended by delegates from Sellafield and Network Rail
Jonathan Carter and Steve Ross from Global Drone Training delivered the pilot programme at Neath Port Talbot College in September 2022, which was attended by delegates from Sellafield and Network Rail.
Jonathan said: “This is an excellent course that includes how to comply with site policies and procedures. It is assessed by a practical flight competence test, where operatives pilot a drone in a real environment and capture, store and share viable images, complying with data protection.
“I would definitely recommend it to other training providers. Training providers licensed to deliver the course will receive all course materials including lesson plans, Powerpoint presentations, online and practical assessment materials, workbooks and exercises that are tried, tested and are ready to go.”
