JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) – and more specifically drone technology – skills are more important than ever for Jacksonville’s workforce of tomorrow.
“It’s used in law enforcement, in safety inspections, like we’ve got CSX here in town. They have a fleet of drones that help with track inspection and things like that,” Kathy Schofield, the executive director for STEM2Hub explained Thursday morning. “So the specific skillset is very important.”
That’s why Thursday morning, over 100 local students participated in a drone competition in Jacksonville’s Brentwood area. Hosted by the Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Florida and STEM2Hub, those students had the chance to fly and pilot drones in a series of different competitive games and activities, even getting to handle Jacksonville Fire & Rescue and Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office drones.
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Thursday’s event wrapped up weeks of learning about technology and artificial intelligence for the children who participated.
Rhodesia Butler, an area director for the Boys & Girls Club, told Action News Jax that the competition offers a chance to grab Jacksonville students and draw them into STEM subject areas at a young age, in a much more exciting way than a typical classroom textbook.
“At a young age, it’s very, very important so they’re able to gain those skills they need that help in the classroom as well,” Butler explained.
Now, the hope is that those children will take the skills learned on Thursday into their future careers and daily lives, setting them on a path for success early.
“All of this combined with the camaraderie and the fun is helping them to fall in love with it, and then they’ll wanna carry it with them from now until the rest of their lives,” Butler said with a smile.
You can find more information on how to get your children involved in events like it by clicking the link here.
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