Inside a gym at the Boys and Girls Club of Truckee Meadows in Reno, Nevada, that workforce pipeline is taking shape.
A small drone zips under a pink arch, darts through a green hoop, wobbles — then settles onto a purple landing pad.
The staff members celebrate.
They're the ones learning this week.
Not the kids.
The club partnered with researchers from the Desert Research Institute to host a multi-day drone certification training. The goal: equip employees with the skills to bring aviation technology, coding and flight safety lessons directly to the students they serve.
"They're not aware that this is a life and workforce skill set that is needed in a lot of fields," said Myron Campos, the club's college and career director. "They don't know that they can get their pilot's license in drones at 16."
Until recently, Campos had never flown one herself.
"I think my little brother had a drone as a kid," she said, laughing. "He crashed it within the first 30 minutes — and that was it for that drone."
Now she's learning not only to fly drones, but to code them.
The training sessions don't grant a commercial license. To fly professionally, pilots must pass the Federal Aviation Administration's Part 107 exam, which covers airspace classifications, weather patterns, safety procedures and emergency protocols.
Still, organizers say the workshops are a launchpad to a fast-growing career path.
Essential tools across the Mountain West
Across the West, drones have shifted from hobby gadgets to essential equipment.
In agriculture, they monitor crop health and irrigation efficiency. In mining and energy, they inspect pipelines, transmission lines and remote facilities. Public safety agencies deploy them during disasters when it may be too dangerous to send a person.
At the U.S. Forest Service, drones are increasingly embedded in wildfire response.
Dirk Giles manages the agency's national unmanned aircraft systems program. The Forest Service now operates more than 400 drones and logs more than 10,000 drone flights annually — a figure that has climbed steadily over the past decade as wildfire seasons have grown longer and more destructive.
"Drones are not going to replace piloted aviation," Giles said. "It's really just another tool in our toolbox."
But they can do things that helicopters and planes can't, especially at night.
"The drone can look a mile and a half off the containment line and see a spot fire the size of a quarter," Giles said.
It's not just about distance. It's also about visibility.
"It's the infrared view, and it's helping the boots on the ground see what they can't see from traditional tools," Giles added.
Wildfires today burn far more acreage than they did decades ago, particularly in Western states. Yet firefighting staffing hasn't grown at the same pace. Agencies are increasingly leaning on technology to fill operational gaps and improve response times.
Private companies scaling up
The push extends beyond government agencies.
Seneca, a California-based startup, is developing autonomous firefighting aircraft — essentially 500-pound drones designed to deploy in coordinated swarms and drop fire-suppressing foam in the earliest moments of a blaze.
"Fire grows exponentially," said founder and CEO Stuart Landesberg. "And so in the very early phases, even these huge fires were quite manageable if you caught them early enough."
The goal is rapid response: aircraft that can launch within minutes, long before traditional air tankers are mobilized.
The company plans its first deployments this summer in California and Colorado. In fact, Seneca recently landed a five-year deal with Colorado's Aspen Fire Protection District. It's one of the first coordinated autonomous wildfire response systems adopted by a U.S. fire agency.
With nearly 50 employees, Seneca is scaling up fast.
"We're hiring like crazy," Landesberg said. "I bet we'll grow the team by 50% in the next six months."
Building the workforce pipeline early
Back in Reno, instructor Michelle Gallivan-Wallace from the Desert Research Institute guides staff members through obstacle courses and flight drills.
"They are sponges," she said. "They love learning, and they love imparting knowledge for getting kids ready for the STEM workforce."
For Campos, the value of drone training goes beyond aviation.
"This teaches them how to work in teams," she said. "It teaches communication skills. It teaches them to be okay with failing and improving, which are all skills that employers are looking for."
The staff members mastering obstacle courses in this gym aren't just earning certifications. They're preparing to pass those skills onto students who may one day design, build or pilot the aircraft reshaping industries across the Mountain West.
In a region where drones are increasingly part of daily life — from farms to firelines — that preparation could open doors far beyond the gym walls.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between KUNR, Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio, KJZZ in Arizona and NPR, with additional support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
Copyright 2026 KUNR News
