All India Council for Technical Education, along with AVPL International, will open 47 AeroVision Drone Labs across the country at AICTE-approved institutions. The labs would look into the increasing demand of skill professionals in the drone sector. It would be able to provide students with a practical training experience along with credit-based courses on drone technology. The operations will be started from January 2025. These labs would train more than 25,000 students on the designing, assembling, programming, and operation of drones.

According to TG Sitharam, chairman of AICTE, the selection of the 47 institutions was based on factors such as NIRF rankings, past performance in AICTE initiatives, and institutional quality. Priority was given to institutions in rural areas to address challenges in agriculture and maximize the impact of drone technology in these regions. AICTE also plans to expand the initiative to 200 institutions by 2025-2026 through collaborations with industry partners.

The labs will be integrated with the current curriculum through credit-based courses under the National Credit Framework (NCrF). The introductory drone-related courses are available from the start and will be based on the foundational understanding of the drone ecosystem. The advanced courses will be provided through the SWAYAM Plus platform to cater to students in remote and underserved areas. It will range from basic operations to advanced applications so that students can move from basic understanding to specializations.

According to Preet Sandhuu, founder and managing director of AVPL, the drone technology is a multidisciplinary thing which requires knowledge beyond a single domain. The courses are scheduled for three to six months under the guidelines of the National Skill Qualification Framework, thereby providing a standardised curriculum. However, problems persist with the dependency on imported drone components and indigenous drone manufacturing at its infancy. Although the project seeks to empower students to develop affordable drones, Sandhuu feels that becoming completely self-sufficient for the “Make in India” drone ecosystem will take another ten years.

The labs are expected to be real-world training centers to bridge the gap between the students and the drone industry. Students will be exposed to live problems and applications from areas such as agriculture, infrastructure, and surveillance. Other than engineering students, it will also extend its trainings to people living nearby communities to ensure there is equal access to learning the drone technology.

AICTE recognizes the challenges of setting up and maintaining these labs, especially concerning infrastructure and faculty training. In this regard, AICTE and AVPL are collaborating on creating the necessary ecosystem and training trainers. Future plans include onboarding other industry stakeholders to expand the AeroVision Labs, offering students internships, live projects, and exposure to cutting-edge drone technology.

Initiatives like “Namo India Drone” and PPP models will push the government for indigenous drone development. By promoting innovation, research, and development, the AICTE-AVPL collaboration is well on its way to revolutionizing drone education and bridging the talent gap in this rapidly evolving sector.