Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative Selects USI's Small UAS Safety Certification Program

January 17, 2018 – Unmanned Safety Institute (USI), the world-leader in remote pilot training and certification, today announced a new partnership with the Kentucky Valley Education Cooperative (KVEC) to offer their Small UAS Safety Certification program to students residing in 22 school districts across the state.

“Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative is excited to partner with Unmanned Safety Institute (USI) to provide high-level drone educational opportunities to the students of southeast Kentucky.  The UAS industry is expected to become a multi-billion-dollar industry in the coming years.  It is imperative our students are prepared to take advantage of this emerging field.   We believe that KVEC’s partnership with USI will create great opportunities for our students and region,” said Paul Green, Leadership ATI Director at KVEC.

The Kentucky Valley Education Cooperative is one of eight education cooperatives in the state of Kentucky, and works with more than 50,000 students and 5,000 educators to improve educational outcomes for students across their territory, including those in rural areas. In a region that suffers from generational poverty and historically poor educational outcomes, KVEC aims to provide students with the best resources available.  The new partnership with USI will give KVEC students the opportunity to gain the critical knowledge and experience necessary to become professional remote pilots in the emerging drone industry.

“USI welcomes the opportunity to work directly with KVEC on this exciting workforce development initiative,” remarked USI President Aaron Greenwald.  “Our expansion into Kentucky and this partnership with KVEC further demonstrates our commitment to providing our turnkey curriculum and industry certifications to students who are interested in a career in the drone industry.  This partnership with KVEC will allow their students to earn our industry certifications and be highly competitive job seekers as USI-certified remote pilots,” said Greenwald.

The Small UAS Safety Certification™ is comprised of four courses totaling over 180 hours of instruction. Students who successfully complete the program are eligible to take USI’s credentialing exam leading to the Small UAS Safety Certification, an industry certification demonstrating expertise in the safe and professional application of remotely piloted aircraft making them highly qualified for careers in the burgeoning industry of Unmanned Aircraft Systems, commonly referred to as “drones.” Students are then enrolled in USI’s Career Pathways Initiative, providing them with a direct link to employers that are looking for professional remote pilots. To date, more than 2,000 students have successfully completed the program which has already been approved by several State Departments of Education.  USI’s program is currently being taught in more than 150 schools across 11 states. USI is in the process of expanding the program into other states across the country and is currently training teachers to facilitate the curriculum for the upcoming 2018-2019 school year.

Courses in the curriculum, each earning students three credits, include:

•     • Learn – Meet all educational requirements that match the level of rating.
•     • Earn – Achieve the appropriate airmen certification from the FAA or equivalent civil aviation authority.
•     • Practice – Hone remote pilot skills by building flight hours and experience.
•     • Promote – Be an active member of the safety community, taking on higher levels of responsibility
•       and continuing to learn through professional development.

The Unmanned Safety Institute offers a total of four courses that have been recommended for 12 college credits by the American Council on Education (ACE). For a complete listing of these courses, please visit the Unmanned Safety Institute’s page on ACE CREDIT National Guide website.

About Unmanned Safety Institute

The Unmanned Safety Institute (USI) is the industry’s most widely recognized leader in flight safety solutions for individuals, enterprises, and organizations focused on integrating and operating Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) for civil or commercial purposes. The Unmanned Safety Institute, widely recognized as “best-in-class” provides UAS flight safety training and certification to operational standards based on the adoption and modification of time-honored aviation safety practices.  With over 100 instructors and over 3,000 customers around the world, including several Fortune 500 enterprises, USI widely recognized as the global leader in UAS training and certification delivering the most highly-regarded training program of its kind.  USI is the only training and certification organization that is accepted by the FAA, endorsed by major aviation insurance providers, and whose training programs have been evaluated and recommended for college credit by the American Council on Education.  Discover more at www.UnmannedSafetyInstitute.org.

CONTACT: Alexis Creedy, Marketing & Communications // alexis.creedy@unmannedsafetyinstitute.org