Development of a remotely piloted aircraft system (rpas) technician certification program

Northwest College received a $475,000 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076) awarded on September 15, 2025, to develop a Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) Technician Certification Program. The award, with an expected completion date of August 31, 2028, will deliver a nine-credit stackable certificate consisting of beginning, intermediate, and advanced courses culminating in a paid internship/work-based learning capstone project. This certification program addresses the documented workforce demand for professional drone pilots across industries including agriculture, construction, film, and real estate, with the FAA reporting over 1.7 million registered drones in the U.S. as of 2020.

The project integrates best practices in curriculum design, workforce development, and work-based learning while emphasizing transferable skills including critical thinking, communication, creativity, problem-solving, and analytical reasoning. Beyond the technician certificate, deliverables include professional development for educators to infuse RPAS concepts across STEM disciplines and related programs at Northwest College, cultivation of industry partnerships, and community awareness activities. The NSF's Division of Undergraduate Education funded this initiative through its commitment to advancing technician education in advanced-technology fields critical to the nation's economic competitiveness.

Abstract

The FAA reports that as of 2020, there are over 1.7 million registered drones in the U.S., and the demand for professional drone pilots is expected to grow as industries such as agriculture, construction, film, and real estate increasingly adopt drone technology for tasks like aerial photography, surveying, mapping, and inspections. The goal of this project, at northwest college (NWC) in northwest wyoming, is the development of a remotely piloted aircraft systems (rpas) certification program that will prepare students to meet workforce needs in the region. The project will infuse best practices in curriculum design, workforce development, and work-based learning, resulting in a short-term, stackable certificate. The critical thinking, communication, creativity, problem-solving, and analytical reasoning skills involved in attaining this certificate are transferable and are valuable assets in many employment settings. The proposed rpas technician education certificate will feature a beginning, intermediate, and advanced course with a capstone project providing a paid internship/work-based learning experience. The objectives of this project include: (1) increasing knowledge and awareness of rpas for the internal and external NWC community; (2) cultivating new and nurturing existing industry partnerships; (3) delivering a nine-credit rpas drone education technician certificate; and (4) offering professional development to prepare educators to infuse rpas concepts across various stem disciplines and related programs at NWC. This project is funded by the advanced technological education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are not planned for this award.