Drone Pilot Scholarship Program Could Elevate Future UAS Workforce

Elevate, an educational initiative from Amazon Prime Air, DroneDeploy, and other partners, aims to train a new generation of Part 107 remote pilots.

Tuesday, May 20, 2025 at 09:30 AM ET

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DroneDeploy, Amazon Prime Air, and other partners introduce the Elevate scholarship for Part 107 commercial drone operations. [Courtesy: iStock]

Key Takeaways:

The "Elevate" scholarship program, launched by partners including DroneDeploy and Amazon Prime Air, aims to prepare college students aged 16-24 for careers in the burgeoning commercial drone industry.
The scholarship offers comprehensive support, including FAA Part 107 training courses, coverage of the $175 exam fee, career guidance, hands-on flight training, and access to advanced software tools.
This initiative directly addresses the high demand for commercial drone pilots, with projections estimating a need for over 100,000 new remote pilots by 2028.

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For college students enrolled in uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), aviation, or FAA Part 107 remote pilot training courses at accredited schools, a new scholarship opportunity could elevate their career.

Flight data platform DroneDeploy, in partnership with Amazon’s Prime Air drone delivery unit and aerial imaging provider FlyGuys, has introduced Elevate: an initiative that aims to prepare 16-to-24-year-old students for careers in the growing commercial drone world. The scholarship is also backed by the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), FAA’s Collegiate Training Initiative (CTI), and National Center for Autonomous Technologies (NCAT), which funds university education of automated systems.

Jack Daleo

Jack is a staff writer covering advanced air mobility, including everything from drones to unmanned aircraft systems to space travel—and a whole lot more. He spent close to two years reporting on drone delivery for FreightWaves, covering the biggest news and developments in the space and connecting with industry executives and experts. Jack is also a basketball aficionado, a frequent traveler and a lover of all things logistics.