Ten trainees from Petrinja, Zagreb, Velika Gorica and Ivanec began a six-month training course for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) programmers this week. This marks the third generation of the programme, which is being conducted at the Petrinja Drone-IN Centre for Innovation and Artificial Intelligence.
Over the course of six months, trainees will acquire knowledge in information technology, programming, and the construction and operation of unmanned aerial vehicles. Katarina Ivančić, Director of the Petrinja Development Agency PETRA, highlighted that such a comprehensive programme does not currently exist anywhere else in Croatia. At the end of the training, trainees present their final projects and receive certificates and qualifications for operating drones.
Magdalena Komes, Mayor of Petrinja, described Drone-IN as one of the city's most important development projects, alongside infrastructure reconstruction. "I am particularly pleased that among the trainees we have young people from different parts of Croatia. This confirms that Drone-IN is recognised for its quality and that Petrinja is becoming a destination where people come to gain new knowledge and new opportunities," Komes said.
The programme has been supported from the outset by the Croatian Employment Service through an on-the-job training measure, Irena Bušić, head of the Sisak regional office, pointed out. Two previous generations have successfully completed the education, and some trainees have already embarked on self-employment and the development of their own business ideas.
Centre manager Karlo Dževerlija stated that the programme's goal, beyond education itself, is to develop innovations, startups and high-tech jobs, and to position Petrinja as one of the Croatian hubs for the development of new technologies.
