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South Africa’s Drone Industry: Thousands of Jobs, Billions of Rands

October 17, 2017 in Education

“Globally, technological advancement has transformed a vast number of industries over the past decade, but sectors such as real estate, mapping, infrastructure-monitoring and shipping have remained relatively unchanged. But Drones are in the process of dramatically changing these and a host of other applications.”

These are the words of Dr Roelof Botha, who asserts that the largely untapped drone industry is expected to create 33,000 jobs this year alone. In addition, the total economic output generated by the same industry equates to an anticipated turnover of more than R2bn. This research formed part of Botha’s Economic Impact Assessment of the South African Drone Industry.

“It is clear after comparing 2015 data to the latest economic impact assessment that the domestic drone industry is expanding exponentially,” Botha says.

Sean Reitz, CEO of United Drone Holdings (UDH) says there are multiple career paths to consider once qualified as a drone pilot, but training is “priority one” and the fundamental step to ensure the right calibre of drone pilots are produced.

“We would like to grow the 33,000 figure year-on-year. But very little can be done and achieved without the proper training and an enabling regulatory environment. Potential drone pilots need to commit to seeing their training through from RPL to advanced applications in order to succeed and make a positive contribution to the industry and in-turn grow employment levels in this country,” Reitz says.

Reitz continues: “Endless potential exists in this industry and career paths vary from emergency response and firefighting support to aerial surveillance and even cinematography. It’s our responsibility to develop future drone pilots, grow the industry and create the jobs we so desperately need.”

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