We’re excited to share a new national partnership that reflects exactly the kind of cross-sector work DART was built to do.

Monterey Bay DART (Drones, Aviation & Robotics Technology) has formalized a partnership with Vets to Drones, a national nonprofit connecting military veterans to careers in unmanned aircraft systems, robotics, and emerging technology. The collaboration pairs DART’s regional workforce infrastructure and industry relationships with Vets to Drones’ veteran-focused training and nationwide community, creating a clearer on-ramp for service members transitioning into civilian careers in advanced air mobility.

Under the partnership, veterans will gain access to drone pilot certification support, scholarships, mentorship, and direct employment connections through both organizations’ industry networks. “This partnership with Vets to Drones exemplifies DART’s mission to build equitable access to quality jobs in emerging sectors,” said Josh Metz, DART Executive Director. “Veterans bring discipline, leadership, and technical aptitude to the workforce. By combining our infrastructure and training expertise, we’re creating real pathways for veterans to thrive in advanced air mobility — an industry positioned for explosive growth in California and across the nation.”

This work builds directly on DART’s MsUAS Pathways initiative, a two-year regional program supported by the James Irvine Foundation with Hartnell College. One of its five workstreams is dedicated to Veteran & Military-Connected Pathways — a natural focus for a region home to the Naval Postgraduate School, the Defense Language Institute, and a sizable veteran community, where military-to-civilian transitions in aerospace have long been fragmented. That workstream is led by Peter Church, DART’s sUAS Project Lead and a former U.S. Navy H-60 Seahawk pilot. “This program will create great opportunities and community-based on-ramps to a growing industry,” Peter said. “We can’t wait to connect people to quality training and meaningful careers in UAS operations.”

Vets to Drones brings a proven national track record to that mission. Founded by Marine and Army veteran Chris Lewis, the nonprofit has trained thousands of veteran pilots through its free, multi-phase apprenticeship program, pairing FAA Part 107 certification with hands-on flight experience, mentorship, and a nationwide employer network. “Veterans deserve opportunities that match their skills and work ethic,” Lewis said. “Partnering with DART gives us the resources to scale our training programs and connect more veterans with employers actively hiring in the drone and autonomous technology space.”

The need is real: advanced air mobility is projected to create thousands of jobs over the next five years, even as veterans face higher underemployment in fields that don’t match their qualifications. This partnership tackles both — a talent shortage and a workforce equity gap — at once.

DART and Vets to Drones will collaborate on workforce training, employer engagement, shared educational resources, and program evaluation, with plans to expand into additional training modules and regional programming in the months ahead.

Read a full Press Release here.
Learn more about DART’s veteran workforce pathways at mbdart.org/maturing-uas-pathways and about Vets to Drones at vetstodrones.org.