Revolutionary Opportunities for Highly Educated Unmanned Aircraft Systems Technicians

在技术不断进步的推动下，无人机系统(UAS)是航空航天行业增长最快的部门，美国联邦航空管理局目前正在制定一项计划，到2015年将UAS整合到国家空域系统(NAS)中。Northland社区与技术学院(NCTC)的这个项目将在无人机领域弥合新的和新兴的航空技术和技师教育之间的差距，并将通过开发高技能工人的管道来满足行业需求，从而增加职业机会。国际无人驾驶车辆系统协会(AUVSI)2013年发布的一项研究预测，UAS整合到NAS的经济影响在整合的前三年总计超过136亿美元，并在可预见的未来可持续增长，2015年至2025年累计超过821亿美元。AUVSI还表示，整合到NAS将在头3年创造超过7万个新的就业机会。到2025年，预计创造的就业岗位总数将达到103,776个。该项目将启动、促进和保持与行业领导者、7-14所学校和高等教育机构的合作伙伴关系，以确认劳动力能力和课程。它将增加教育机会，促进航空技术的发展及其对地区和国家的影响，有助于将美国定位为全球无人机市场的领先者。通过与UAS测试现场的主要利益相关者合作，该项目将创建UAS维护方面的技术人员培训模式，并满足UAS和其他高增长行业的技术就业需求。随着这些新技术的快速发展，有一个巨大的机会来影响这一科学、技术、工程和技术(STEM)学科的标准化教育。为了解决当前的技能差距和教育机会，该项目将为无人机和相关学科创建创新的、行业驱动的课程、行业公认的可堆叠证书和技术人员职业道路。它将为教职员工提供专业发展，使他们了解新兴技术并学习新的教学方法，使他们能够将这些材料纳入UAS项目以及现有的STEM课程。它将通过利用远程呈现技术来扩大地理覆盖面并为非传统学生提供服务，从而促进和向代表性不足的人口和农村地区提供教育机会。项目人员将传播教学材料、研究信息和论文，供教育和行业合作伙伴使用。讲习班和夏令营将提高中学和大专教育工作者以及对STEM感兴趣的学生的认识。综合评估将确定无人机技术人员教育方面的最佳做法，以满足这一新的国家需求。

Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) is the most rapidly growing sector of the aerospace industry fueled with continuous advancements in technology, and the Federal Aviation Administration is currently working on a plan to integrate UAS into the national airspace system (NAS) by 2015. This project at Northland Community and Technical College (NCTC) will bridge the gap between new and emerging aviation technology and technician education in the area of UAS and will increase career opportunities through the development of a pipeline for highly skilled workers to meet industry demands. A study released in 2013 by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) forecast the economic impact of the integration of UAS into the NAS to total more than $13.6 billion in the first three years of integration and to grow sustainably for the foreseeable future, cumulating to more than $82.1 billion between 2015 and 2025. AUVSI also stated the integration into the NAS will create more than 70,000 new jobs in the first 3 years. By 2025, total job creation is estimated at 103,776 jobs. The project will initiate, facilitate, and maintain partnerships with industry leaders, 7-14 schools and higher education institutions to confirm workforce competencies and curriculum. It will increase educational opportunities to advance aviation technologies and the impacts regionally and nationally, helping to position the U.S. as a leader in the global UAS market. By collaborating with key stakeholders at the UAS test sites, the project will create models for technician education in UAS maintenance and meet technical employment needs of UAS and other high-growth industries. With the rapid growth in these new technologies there is a great opportunity to influence standardized education for this science, technology, engineering, and technology (STEM) discipline.To address current skill gaps and educational opportunities, the project will create innovative, industry driven curriculum for UAS and related disciplines, industry recognized stackable credentials, and technician career pathways. It will provide professional development for faculty members to stay current in emerging technologies and learn new teaching methods that will allow them to incorporate these materials into UAS programs as well as in existing STEM courses. It will promote and provide educational opportunities to underrepresented populations and rural areas by leveraging tele-presence technology to expand geographical reach and serve non-traditional students. Project personnel will disseminate instructional materials, research information, and papers for use by educational and industry partners. Workshops and summer camps will promote awareness to secondary and post-secondary educators and students interested in STEM. A comprehensive evaluation will identify best practices in the education of UAS technicians to fill this emerging national need.