Gandhinagar: Kaushalya – The Skill University (KSU) will extend its drone pilot training programme to 19 industrial training institutes (ITIs) of the state, the govt informed on Friday. The govt added that KSU has positioned the state at the forefront of India’s emerging drone education and manufacturing ecosystem.
As of now, the university’s School of Drones trained 504 individuals and issued them official pilot licences. Additionally, over 100 drones were indigenously developed and assembled at the institute. The initiative comes at a time when drone technology is rapidly transforming multiple sectors, including agriculture, logistics, defence and infrastructure monitoring.
An official statement said that KSU is the only govt institution that secured a “type certificate” for developing and assembling drones in the “small category”. The statement added that two ITIs – Bilimora and Mandvi – already secured DGCA recognition to operate as RPTOs (remote pilot training organisations). “The remaining 17 centres will also soon have the facility of drone pilot training,” the statement added.
KSU currently operates six specialised schools offering more than 110 vocational programmes. Its upcoming campus in Shilaj, Ahmedabad, being constructed at a cost exceeding Rs 164 crore, is expected to become a central hub for high-skill training in sectors such as robotics, artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and drone technology, the statement said.
India’s drone market is projected to reach Rs 1.21 billion by 2030, and Gujarat’s proactive investments in training and certification are designed to prepare its youth for high-demand roles in the evolving economy.
“The project is not just about flying drones, but integrating a generation of workers into the future of work, where automation, data, and intelligent machines will drive industry,” the statement said.