In the industry, for drones, the training we offer currently gives them certification level to operate—I won't say, to operate as commercial operators, because there is actually no commercial rating. It is what's called an advanced level certificate that allows drones or RPAS to be operated in areas normally restricted for those who, for lack of a better explanation, are more recreational operators. It is the advanced training at that level that deals with some of the fields I was mentioning, like photogrammetry and videography. I'm not talking about regular recreational videography. It's manipulation of the data, but also the techniques used to acquire the appropriate data in drone operations.
There's a system called “lidar” that's coming into play. You've heard of radar, which stands for “radio detection and ranging”. Lidar is “light detection and ranging”, a similar system but light-based. It is used massively for inspections of windmills, volumetric assessments and structural bridge inspections. As an engineer, I could go on and give you a considerable number of examples.
The issue is that training in these areas is expensive, and it currently exceeds what is available through the VAC envelope under the short course program funding, which is a one-time maximum of $5,000. It was not always like that. In 2023, drone training was eligible under the formal program envelope. For veterans like me, that didn't mean they were going to hand out the money to you indiscriminately, but you would have access of up to $80,000, I believe, if you were a former career member of the forces. That was changed suddenly and arbitrarily without explanation. I don't know if you have a copy of the letter I wrote, but it said that, moving forward, all drone training would be funded only by short course funding. As I mentioned, that $5,000 pot gets burned up very quickly.
As I pointed out earlier, when you're trying to start a business, you look at the commercial side of things, like banks, supports.... I'm a former entrepreneur with a business as well. I know what the uphill battle is like in dealing with financial institutions to try to get funding when you have a bona fide business plan.