DroneUp pairs with Embry-Riddle University in drone-focused program

Leading US drone delivery company DroneUp is partnering with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in a program intended to encourage and assist students pursuing studies and careers in UAV activities.

The DroneUp Talent Pathway Program aims to leverage Embry-Riddle’s curriculum covering aviation, aerospace, and aerial security intelligence applications. The purpose is to both inform students about the kinds of careers available in the drone sector, and help guide those interested toward the proliferating job opportunities UAV companies are generating. 

DroneUp said the initiative will be available to the over 32,750 full-time Embry-Riddle students receiving instruction at its residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Florida, and Prescott, Arizona, as well as its online-based Worldwide Campus. 

Read: DroneUp makes move to expand booming US activity to Europe

The university offers more than 100 baccalaureate, graduate, and Ph.D. programs, with the DroneUp Talent Pathway tailored particularly to studies and training in already scaling and just emerging UAV activities alike.

“Embry-Riddle students represent the best of the best for the future of the aerospace industry, and this partnership made a great deal of sense,” explained DroneUp vice president of talent acquisition, David Bach. “The DroneUp Talent Pathway Program is another effort to build out the UAS workforce and students have the chance to explore a career in a new, truly unique and innovative industry.”

While seeking to serve participating students and the broader UAV sector, DroneUp’s new collaboration with Embry-Riddle will also give the company a leg up in spotting and recruiting potential employees for its own rapidly expanding business activities.

Last year alone, DroneUp launched 34 drone delivery hubs in six states, notably in its longstanding partnership with shareholder Walmart. As it continues to expand its network, the company says it will need more on-site engineers to oversee autonomous UAV flights, as well as a wide range of skilled aerial tech workers.

In a nod to that, DroneUp will collaborate with Embry-Riddle in the new program to nurture future drone operators, flight engineers, computer programmers, and other relevant positions in delivery and other UAV service work. Participating students will also be given access to career expos, coached through mock hiring interviews, and receive regular classroom instruction and insight from DroneUp employees.

Read: DroneUp begins Walmart drone delivery service in Texas [Update]

Alan Stolzer, dean of Embry-Riddle’s College of Aviation, says the university’s UAV-focused program with DroneUp is another way the school has sought to pair traditional aerospace education and training with exposure to leading real-world companies and organizations students may one day work for.

“We take partnerships seriously at Embry-Riddle and collaborate with the largest aerospace, security, and defense companies leading our industry today, including NASA, Federal Aviation Administration, Textron, and many others,” Stolzer said. “We’re excited to add DroneUp to this list of partners and offer our students connections into a career in (uncrewed) aircraft systems.”