Forth Valley College (FVC) will become the first college in Scotland and the wider UK to deliver the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) Industrial UAS Operations: Foundation Training Course, starting Monday 24 March. The course, held at FVC's Falkirk Campus, will equip industry professionals with advanced drone operation skills for applications such as infrastructure inspections and site surveys.

FVC is the first Scottish provider to offer the five-day ECITB course, developed in collaboration with leading industrial drone users like Sellafield. The course aims to establish industry-wide standards for unmanned aircraft use on complex engineering and construction sites, creating a benchmark for remote pilot competency.

Amanda Smith, UAV Equipment Programme Lead at Sellafield, stated, "Having this new standard means if someone comes to us with this ECITB qualification, I understand the standard of the training they've got, which saves time on internal assessments."

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The course bridges the gap between basic drone flying and high-risk industrial applications, catering to experienced pilots, those seeking to refresh their skills, and companies integrating drone technology into their operations. It includes theoretical and practical training modules covering drone types, flight planning, safety, operational guidelines, risk assessment, precise drone control, flying near structures, data capture, and data management.

Successful students will receive ECITB Certification, demonstrating an industry-approved level of competency for industrial drone inspections.

Chris Mann, Director of Learning and Assurance at ECITB, said: "Forth Valley College is the first college in Scotland to deliver the UAS foundation course. The use of drones across industrial settings, particularly for maintenance inspections, offers real benefits to industry including increased worker safety and efficiency as well as a reduction in asset downtime."

Zak Stark, Head of Commercial Training and Delivery at Forth Valley College, stated: "We are delighted to be the first training provider in Scotland to offer the ECITB Industrial UAS Operations: Foundation Training Course. This cutting-edge training programme will support local industries by equipping drone pilots with the specialist skills needed to operate safely and effectively in a range of complex environments."

Jamie Allan, FVC's Global Partnerships Manager, added: "The design of this course through ECITB working with industry to fill a gap, namely the creation of a common benchmark for industrial drone pilots to evidence their competency, is crucial in providing companies with confidence that their staff and subcontracted pilots all meet a certain level of skill and safe operations whilst working around critical assets."