Home Work: How to Kick-Start Your Drone Career Online
It would be something of an understatement to say that the world is a very different place to what it was barely a month ago. As COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc across the globe, it can feel as if everything is shutting down during the ‘lockdown’ restrictions, with many businesses closing their doors and staff sent to the safety of their homes. However, there can still be some silver linings to these darkest of clouds. With the UK government introducing a furlough system, many companies can at least continue to pay their staff – despite not reaping the financial benefits from their day-to-day productivity. As for the employees, being effectively quarantined within their own homes does come with its own limitations and responsibilities, such as home-schooling the kids, but there are also some opportunities to put this time to good use. Those household chores you’ve been putting off for months can now seem like a welcome break from the sofa, while long-held ambitions to learn a new language or play the guitar can finally come to the fore. And, with the Coptrz Academy growing every week, providing a rich virtual classroom to enable full online Training, you can also use this an opportunity to kick-start a career in the drone industry.
What is Furlough?
To briefly explain the furlough system, it’s a government-funded scheme that will help business owners pay the wages of its employees that are no longer able to work because of the COVID-19 outbreak. It will cover 80% of the employees’ wages – up to a maximum of £2,500 per person, per month (before tax) – with each company opting whether or not to inject the remaining 20% to top-up the pay. It also covers the likes of part-time and zero-hour contract employees, as long as they’ve been with the company since the end of February. Although the scheme was launched at the beginning of March, payments won’t begin until the end of April, but we’re promised they will be in place for at least three months – with further announcements to be made as things develop.
A Window of Opportunity
Effectively this furlough period means that employees are still being paid even though they cannot work. So, while the option to enjoy this time with your family might seem appealing, or to just work your way through Netflix and the wine cabinet, it can also be a great opportunity to plan for your post-COVID future. As a business owner, perhaps you’ve been thinking about investing in drone technology or expanding your existing operations – but there’s never really been a good time for yourself or your staff to take a few days out of the office in order to do the necessary training. With all of courses available online, now you can get fully trained for a variety of aerial operations from the comfort of your living room, and entirely at your own pace. If you’re paying your employees for doing nothing, then why not use the time to invest in them and really make your company ‘take off’ when business eventually returns to normal? As dire as the current situation is with companies forced to close their doors, it does also mean it’s the most cost-effective time to take to the virtual classroom as you’re not losing man-hours as a result. As one door closes, another one opens… As an employee, maybe you’ve been thinking about your long-term future, or even considering setting up your own commercial drone business. Either way, we can help you put this sudden wealth of spare time to good use by steering you towards the professional licence you’ll need, as well as offering a variety of additional support tools and further specialised training where required. And all while sipping tea on your sofa.
COPTRZ Academy
At the heart of all our training is the COPTRZ Academy. Fuelled by our network of seasoned industry experts who have helped more than 1,000 companies take to the skies, it’s a Continual Learning Platform that’s packed with online courses, webinars, reports, how-to videos, tutorials and more – with new content being added every week. Not only is it an invaluable resource that can help guide the growth of your own operations, it can also give you some ideas and inspiration to try something new, whether it’s looking at flying beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), introducing the likes of LIDAR or thermography, or just brushing up on your skills with a masterclass in aerial photography or filming. And it’s not just about our team of professionals, as you’ll also find a growing community of like-minded operators keen to share their own insights and advice. Best of all, you can try it out for FREE! We’re offering a free three-month subscription, which also comes with three months free access to AIVA Asset Inspection Software. And if you do sign up to one of our courses you can have full access to the COPTRZ Academy for up to two years!
“Since 2018 Coptrz have become our sole training provider. Along with Pilot NQE qualifications, vocational lessons have also been given on how to use drones to complete survey-grade photogrammetry. We’ve purchased a host of assets from Coptrz and made them our ONE-STOP-SHOP for all things UAV.”
Jonathan Wales, Head of Videography and Aerial Solutions, Costain
What Are the Courses?
There are three main courses on offer. Newcomers to the drone industry will need a CAA Permission for Commercial Operations, and so our introductory PfCO course will cover everything you need. It also comes with our industry-recognised OFQUAL 4 Accreditation Package, to take your training even further and really help you to stand out from the crowd. For the PfCO, there is a flight assessment requirement which can be done at any of our 11 test centres (and with all social distancing needs met, of course) but obviously with restrictions as they are we appreciate this might not be easy and so we’d be happy to discuss the practicalities of this element as the current situation develops. If you run your own company you might also want to consider our Business Starter Package which includes all of the PfCO and OFQUAL 4 training, as well as further guidance for running your own aerial operations, and also comes with a choice of DJI or Parrot craft to get you off the ground. If you or one of your employees is already trained up to PfCO standards, then it’s well worth considering our OFQUAL 5 Chief Pilot Training course. With no practical element, this can be done entirely online and aims to not only to help pilots take their abilities to the next level, but also provides a globally-recognised qualification that demonstrates to any would-be client or customer that you are very serious about what you do. After all, our courses are designed to make it easy to get your PfCO, but with an OFQUAL 5 qualification you’re showing the world that you’re among the best of the best!
“COPTRZ Academy redefines online drone training in a world that has changed. Bringing you from the physical classroom to the virtual classroom in a way that’s safe, supportive and effective. It uniquely has all the benefits of both classroom and online training with none of the drawbacks. The best of both worlds…”
Steve Coulson, Managing Director, COPTRZ
You can find out more on your options and get in touch with us HERE. Although we’re obviously working under the same restrictions as everyone else, we’re still ready and willing to help you and your future company make the most of these difficult times. After all, if life gives you lemons…
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