The Cradle of Aviation’s ‘Drone Aviators of Tomorrow’ program provided a pathway to STEM careers. The initiative was made possible through partnerships with the Institute for Workforce Advancement, Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology, HempsteadWorks at the Town of Hempstead Department of Occupational Resources (DOOR), and corporate sponsor Haugland Group LLC.
Participants selected for the HempsteadWorks-Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) completed an intensive six-week curriculum focused on drone operation, construction, and business development, generously supported by the Haugland Group. The program equipped participants with hands-on experience, classroom instruction, and on-site visits to partners, where they gained a comprehensive understanding of drone technology and its applications across various sectors, preparing them to obtain their FAA Part 107 drone pilot license.
On August 15, the Museum hosted a graduation ceremony honoring the students’ achievements, showcasing their skills, and providing networking opportunities with local industry leaders, including the Haugland Group, BH Aircraft, East/West Industries, Power Authority of NY, PSEG, Vaughn College, and Yaphank Fire/Rescue.
Rosalie Drago is the head of External Affairs & Strategic Engagement at the Haugland Group.
The Haugland Group is a family-owned civil infrastructure and energy construction firm in Melville, Long Island. The company provides a wide range of energy and civil construction services in the tri-state area, across the Eastern Seaboard, and the Virgin Islands. “Most people don’t know what civil construction is,” said Drago. “There’s continuous work in the industry, and there’s not enough people going into the career pathways. So wherever we build a project, we also invest in the next-generation workforce in career awareness and career readiness and give them exposure to the industry. In particular, we chose the drone program as we have one of the largest drone operations in construction. And technology is something that young people are familiar with and interested in. So, it’s a great entryway into the industry, and we’ve been supporting programs like this… where students can see how the drones are used, get some experience, and hopefully they can go on to intern or work with us and the other industry partners in the region.”
Kurt Rockensies of HempsteadWorks is the deputy commissioner of the Town of Hempstead Department of Occupational Resources. HempsteadWorks is a career center for the residents of the City of Long Beach and the Town of Hempstead. The Cradle of Aviation was a worksite partner with them. Prior to the graduation ceremony, Mr. Rockensies explained how the Town of Hempstead runs the SYEP, a six-week program where youth between the ages of 16 – 20 are paid $17 an hour for up to 30 hours per week. “The 12 youth here today were in the drone program at the Cradle of Aviation, learning how to fly a drone and get certified to do that while also getting paid to learn how to do that. In partnership with the Haugland Group and Vaughn College, they also earned a college credit, and after the completion of the course, they are now able to take the Part 107 test to get certified to be an official drone pilot.”
After the graduation ceremony, where the 12 young participants received a certificate of their completion of the ‘Drone Aviators of Tomorrow’ program, Metropolitan Airport News spoke to a few of the graduates to hear about their experience with the initiative.
Aidan, who took and passed the Part 107 test, said, “The experience was exceptional. Everything that we learned has been really helpful, especially the class about Part 107, the test to get your FAA license to fly drones commercially. And the experience, the lessons, and the process we had with Vaughn College was extremely helpful. It made the transition to taking the test very smooth, and it was everything I could ask for.” Aiden’s next step is to go into the medical field, and he plans to use his experience with the program to help bridge innovations within robotic surgery to the area of ophthalmology.
Katelyn is an engineering student at the University of New Haven. She felt that the program was very eye-opening. “I didn’t know drones could do the things that they do. Going to different sites was very helpful in terms of figuring out what I want to do in my career and my next step for internships. For example, I didn’t know about the Haugland Group until now, and I could see myself working there in the future,” said Katelyn after the ceremony while standing beneath the drones suspended in the Cradle of Aviation Museum’s ‘The Future is Now’ gallery. Moving forward, Katelyn will try to get into more internships over the summer and hopes that when she graduates, she will get a spot on Long Island to live and work close to home.
Kevin’s experience was also very special, saying, “I learned a lot about how drones operate and how to fly them. The visits to the job sites were really informative, and it really opened my eyes to learn how drones can be used in different fields.” His next step is to study electrical engineering, and he wants to see how he could improve upon drones in the future… to, perhaps repair them if need be. “Obviously, with drones, there’s a lot of circuitry, and there has to be someone to create the circuitry for them to operate and for people to maintain the multi-thousand dollar equipment in them. You don’t want to have to replace that, so it’s probably more cost-effective to repair than to replace the whole thing,” added Kevin.
