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Title: Stem Education Specialist, 4-H Youth Development
Location: Baton Rouge, LSU campus
Strategic Goal Focus: Expand the talent pipeline through youth development, ag leadership and college academic workforce development programming that returns talent to rural communities in Louisiana.Gautreau and his team designed a course that teaches high school students the basics of flying drones and helps them earn the Federal Aviation Administration Part 107 certification needed to fly a drone commercially, along with another important certification. The students can learn to fly fixed-wing drones, create images and map fields — crucial skills for agricultural drone careers. Additionally, the ACED program trains teachers to help educate more teens interested in this career pathway. The program also leads summer camps and sessions at LSU AgCenter AgMagic events to introduce thousands of children to agricultural drone technologies.
The skills and knowledge developed through the ACED program can help Louisianians stay in their hometowns and contribute to their local economies. Or, they can learn skills at home and find opportunities anywhere in the world.
“It’s important for youth to have to have multiple pathways into careers. A Part 107 certification can open so many doors. It might not be agriculture. It might be in insurance adjusting, inspections, or just be a side hustle taking pictures at weddings. It is going to open avenues that youth often aren’t even aware of. It might be the spark that sets them down a road for a career or college. It is a growing field, so it is extremely important for them.”
This program is connecting kids with an opportunity to join a global workforce. It’s hard to measure what a youth in high school is going to do eight years from now, but these students can become pilots for larger done corporations or become independent contractors.
