The Construction Foundation of BC’s (CFBC) Sky Keepers program celebrated a major milestone in March with the graduation of its first cohort of female drone operators.

A total of nine participants from Blueberry River First Nations completed the women-specific program, with an additional nineteen participants registered for upcoming programming this spring.

The Sky Keepers acquired a drone operating certificate at the end of the program and also received safety certifications, computer training, financial literacy, cultural connection workshops, essential skills workshops and more over a 10-week training period.

“It’s been an amazing group to work with,” said Sky Keepers manager of operations, Keri Taylor. “There was a sense of engagement, a sense of family, a really tight community. We’ve had some of these women using the Zoom application to participate in class despite having prior family and community commitments. They’ve worked extremely hard to stay involved.” 

Drone training for Sky Keepers was delivered by Aboriginal Training Services (ATS), a private, Indigenous-owned company developing training programs targeted specifically for the use of remote piloted aerial systems (RPAS, drones) in areas of consultation, surveying and emergency management.

Participants flew the DJI M30T drone, used in search and rescue, that includes features such as ground penetrating radar and 200x zoom capabilities. Despite adverse weather conditions during training sessions, ATS and the Sky Keepers cohort were able to fly four drones outdoors. 

“Working with this Sky Keepers cohort was a fantastic experience,” said ATS founder and owner, Darcy Hunt. “We were out for eight days and the attendance of the participants was great to see. The women who completed the program were issued Advanced Drone Certificates. Now, there are industry partners that are interested in taking them on for future employment.”