High School
Drone repair work requires mechanical, electrical, and technical knowledge as well as good communication skills for dealing with customers and coworkers. Take classes in computer science, math, science, English, foreign language, and machine shop. Foreign language classes are also helpful for working with people from other countries.
Postsecondary Education
Educational requirements for drone repair technicians vary by employer; for some, a high school diploma or associate's degree may be sufficient. However, technicians with a bachelor's degree improve their job prospects. A growing number of colleges and universities offer education programs in unmanned aerial vehicle technology. For example, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona, Florida, offers the bachelor of science in uncrewed aircraft systems (https://erau.edu/degrees/bachelor/uncrewed-aircraft-systems), with courses that focus on various applications areas of unmanned aircraft systems.
Some students prepare for the field by completing apprenticeship programs.
Certification
Drone repair technicians may earn certificates from vocational-technical schools. For example, Northland Community & Technical School, in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, offers an uncrewed aircraft systems maintenance technician certificate that concentrates on the maintenance and repair of unmanned aerial systems. Required classes include avionics, microcomputer maintenance, networking, fabrication integration, control stations, among other courses. To enroll, students are required to have the Federal Aviation Administration Airframe and Powerplant Certification. See more information at https://www.northlandcollege.edu/academics/programs/uncrewed-aircraft-systems-maintenance-technician-certificate/specifics. Contact schools in your area to learn about available programs.
Other Education or Training
Many engineering and other technical associations—as well as postsecondary institutions and for-profit, online learning providers—provide continuing education classes and webinars on topics such as electrical and electronics systems, drone construction, aerodynamics, and other topics.
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