Agencies
Eyeing a more lucrative job in the logistics sector, Bai Wuhen has risen to the occasion by embarking on a full-time training programme in Shenzhen, China’s "drone capital”, with the aim of obtaining an operator’s licence and taking his career to new heights.
The 28-year-old, who previously worked in the hotel industry, wants to be able to pilot medium-sized drones beyond visual range, a skill that is in heavy demand in China’s burgeoning drone delivery sector.
"I want to be professional, especially as the sector is being standardised,” he said. "Getting a licence is the first step.” Demand for remote pilot certificates is increasing as Chinese workers and graduates pursue emerging jobs related to drone operation amid Beijing’s encouragement of the low-altitude economy, which is being seen as a new growth driver for the world’s second-largest economy.
"I find drones really cool,” he said. "They combine with technologies in many different areas, such as agriculture and mapping.” The training centre where he is learning the skill, run by Shenzhen-based Global Hawk UAV Co, has seen student numbers surge in the past year, its founder, Yu Jingbing, said.
"The number of trainees we’ve received so far this year has been well above that for all of last year, and we expect the whole year’s number to be double last year’s,” he said.
Yu said there were so many students that "we’re actually having a shortage of instructors”.The Zhifei training centre in Shanghai said it had also witnessed a "sharp increase” in student numbers since this summer.Most were seeking certification to meet requirements for certain positions in the army or in government agencies that are actively applying drones in fields such as urban management, one staff member said.
Demand was also booming due to a significant uptick in corporate requests for talent, driven by new applications for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in sectors like logistics, tourism, aerial surveying and power inspection, Yu said.
Many people employed in the finance and property sectors were contributing to the trend as well, because they were seeking to switch careers to the low-altitude sector and needed to obtain proper licensing, he added.
China’s property market hs been in a prolonged slump and the finance industry is also struggling with elevated non-performing loans amid an overall economic downturn.The low-altitude economy, generally encompassing manned and unmanned activities up to an altitude of 1,000 metres (3,280 feet), is currently facing a shortage of around 1 million skilled workers, National Development and Reform Commission vice-chairman Li Chunlin told a news conference last month.
Expected to generate new jobs, boost technological innovation and inject momentum into the economy, the term was written into Premier Li Qiang’s government work report, which was delivered in March, as a strategic emerging industry.
China had just 225,000 people officially licensed to operate UAVs by the end of June, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).