Drone Operations director Laurie Radcliffe with students Ben Curnick, Carly Boaden and Julian Guthrie.
Photo by
Owen Sinclair
From mapping the health of crops on a farm to saving lives in emergency services, the career opportunities for students at a Cobram school have reached new heights after a delivery of equipment.
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Thanks to third-party company Drone Operations, the school has recently accepted a batch of several drones made by the renowned DJI brand.
While the drones may be second-hand, that didn’t stop students such as Julian Guthrie expressing their enthusiasm for the new tech.
The Year 11 student, who is one of several studying for a Certificate 3 in Aviation (Remote Pilot) at the school, said he was excited about the chance to use the new drones.
“I love everything in the aviation industry, so getting to do that kind of stuff at school is very nice,” he said.
“My current plan is to do aeronautical engineering.”
It’s a field that will involve Julian in the design and maintenance of aircraft, and something that correlates closely to what he’s learning at school.
“[The certificate] gives me my first proper look at using aircraft in a commercial setting,” Julian said.
The students had the chance to explore the new batch of drones, including the DJI Inspire 1 pictured here.
Photo by
Owen Sinclair
Every Wednesday, the VET students get hands-on with the latest and greatest in drone technology, much of which is used in industries such as agriculture and construction.
Once they finish the course, which is recognised by many industries, students such as Julian will be qualified to fly drones without many of the restrictions that apply to recreational users.
Teacher Anthony McConnell said the course, which the school has offered since last year, has been really engaging for his students.
“And you’ll find that you can go to university with this, you can go into movies, you can go into real estate, army, the police force. There are so many [industries] using drones on a daily basis,” he said.
The course has been so successful in cultivating students’ interest in the field that several have already put their savings into buying drones for themselves.
“They look forward to coming along every Wednesday and participating in this course,” Mr McConnell said of his students.
“Giving students a really hands-on experience with drones that are used in the workforce allows them to have the confidence and the training, so when they do go and work for a company, they’ve had that experience.”
