UAS conference for Ventura County

A three-day conference on job opportunities in the unmanned aerial vehicle industry will take place in Ventura County, Assemblyman Jeff Gorell, R-Camarillo, said Tuesday.

Nonmilitary application of the technology is the fastest-growing manufacturing sector in the global aerospace industry, expected to grow 700 percent between 2012 and 2018, according to a statement from Gorell’s office.

The conference will be hosted by Gold Team California, an organization focused on economic development. Gold Team consists of state and local elected officials as well as representatives from other fields.

The organization is collaborating with the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics to bring the conference to Ventura County.

The conference will touch on future civilian job opportunities in the industry.

While the military has used unmanned aerial vehicles for some time, they are becoming more important for civilian applications. These include surveillance of livestock, wildfire mapping, pipeline security, the transportation of goods and scientific research.

“This is an opportunity for our community to host a major event that will showcase the next generation of aerospace technology for the world,” Gorell said in a statement. “California is a natural home for this aerospace expansion and I would like these design, development, manufacturing and testing jobs to come to the Ventura County region.”

The symposium will include panel discussions on future applications for the aircraft in the areas of public safety, agriculture, filmmaking, disaster response and communications, as well as economic development projections and opportunities for the industry in California.

The conference is scheduled for March 26-28 at the Westlake Village Hyatt Plaza in Thousand Oaks. Event and registration information are at https://www.aiaa.org/CAuav/.

More information about Gold Team is at http://www.cagoldteam.org.