Pueblo Community College recently announced two tuition-free certifications made possible through a grant from La Plata County and Colorado OEDIT in support of PCC’s continued work development efforts.
The first certification is a security+ certification taught by Natambu Obleton, CCIE, which will start Sept. 9, and the second is a commercial drone FAA Part 107 pilot certification that began this week. Another drone course will be offered virtually in October.
The security+ course is a cybersecurity certification that “incorporates best practices in hands-on troubleshooting” and helps students gain “practical security problem-solving skills.”
According to PCC, students will leave the course with a knowledge of how to assess the security of an organization and help them make a plan for solutions where the safety falls short. They will also learn how to monitor “hybrid environments” such as the cloud, laptops, phones and more.
Students will also learn about how to respond and adapt during security incidents and become familiar with various laws, policies and risks that go hand in hand with security.
The security+ course will take place Saturday, Sept. 9 to Dec. 10 (excluding Oct. 7 and 14 and Nov. 18 and 25) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the FLC Center for Innovation in the Main Mall in downtown Durango.
The second course will end with equipped students ready to take the test to obtain their drone commercial pilot’s license under the tutelage of in-person instructors Heather Houk, Mariah Klingler and Drew Semel and virtual instructor Dr. Evert Brown.
The in-person drone course (UAS 140) is Sept. 5 through Oct. 24 in-person, followed by a virtual course (UAS 150) on Oct. 26 through Dec. 14.
The UAS 140 course teaches the principles of flight as it applies to drones. According to the course description, the course will include the “principles of flight, mission planning, systems control, safety of personnel, safety in the operational environment and compliance with regulations and procedures.”
The class will utilize classroom time and flight practice time.
UAS 150 will help prepare students to pass the FAA Part 107 exam. The Part 107 license is required for all professional/commercial UAS pilots and will allow for professional drone flight.
The course will provide insight and understanding into the exam, as well as giving students an understanding of drone technology and what is to come with future AUS integration into the National Airspace System.
Registration for the courses is first-come, first serve. Those interested can contact jj@yeslpc.com.
