Bethel Park Takes Flight: Drone Workforce Lab
Programs> Bethel Park Takes Flight: Drone Workforce Lab
About the Program
Bethel Park Take Flight: Drone Workforce Lab is a hands-on workforce development program giving students the opportunity to explore drone technology, aviation, engineering, and emerging careers. Students will build technical skills, practice problem-solving, learn to work as a team, and gain real-world experience using technology in meaningful ways.
Aligned with the Period Zero mission, Take Flight helps students move beyond learning about careers to actually experiencing them—building the skills, confidence, and curiosity they need to take their next step into the workforce and future opportunities.
Daytona's Story
“During my senior year of high school I decided to attempt to take the FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate after going through the Fly Like A Girl Drone Academy. This was a great opportunity but I was not sure what I was going to do with my drone license. Funny enough there was a gas odor call to my house and my local fire department, Baldwin Fire Rescue, recruited me to join. I have always wanted to help people and the community so I felt like this was a great way to do so. I absolutely love firefighting and I am so thankful that obtaining my drone license led me to this path.”
– Daytona Hissong
Careers
Drones are becoming increasingly common in the workplace, especially in industries such as construction, agriculture, real estate, photography, energy, and public safety. In 2026, a survey by Associated Builders and Contractors found that 36.1% of contractors reported using drones on jobsites. Among those contractors, drones were most commonly used for site progress monitoring (80.8%), marketing and media (77.5%), and inspections (50%). The FAA also estimates that commercial drones are used across hundreds of thousands of operations, showing that drone technology is becoming an important part of many careers.