NCAT Partners with Women And Drones Fueling Diverse Talent in STEM Careers

The National Center for Autonomous Technologies (NCAT) and the Women And Drones network have formed a new partnership. The organizations are partnering to focus on expanding to address advancing STEM education.

NCAT leaders utilize best practices to recruit underrepresented groups and support their entry to the STEM field. “We are thrilled about the opportunity to become an educational partner of Women and Drones and broaden our range of leaders in the drone industry, ” says NCAT Executive Director Jonathan Beck. “The resources each organization brings to the table will be instrumental in advancing STEM education to underserved populations. We are dedicated to removing barriers and providing access for all, in order to diversify the pipeline of the nation’s autonomous technologies workforce, across air, land and sea because diversity drives innovation.

A recent report from the McKinsey Global Institute finds that although jobs will be lost to autonomous technology, 100s of millions of new jobs will become available in response to technological advances. By expanding resources in AT education, NCAT creates new workforce capabilities and opportunities, ensuring that students are ready to compete and thrive in these millions of new jobs.

“We are excited about partnering with the National Center for Autonomous Technologies. Our joint efforts will support fueling the pipeline with diverse talent in STEM careers. Their focus on diversity in innovation aligns with our efforts in championing gender equality in the workplace,” explained Women and Drones CEO and founder, Sharon Rossmark. According to the 2019 FAA’s Aeronautical Center data, only 6.7% of certified remote pilots are women.

About the National Center for Autonomous Technologies: NCAT was established under the National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Program at Northland Community and Technical College in Thief River Falls, MN. NCAT leads the education of the nation’s autonomous technologies workforce through a concerted effort on expanding educational resources to address current workforce demands, developing career pathways, and broadly engaging stakeholders from education, industry, government and related ATE Centers and Projects.

About Women And Drones: Women And Drones in the leading membership organization dedicated to driving excellence in the unmanned aircraft system (UAS) and Urban Air Mobility (UAM) industry by advocating for female participation in this dynamic segment of the global economy. Women And Drones partners with companies committed to an inclusive culture where women can thrive and organizations to support the expansion of workforce development programs to meet the growing demand in the STEM fields.

January 12, 2021

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