Tallinn opens first drone training classroom

ERR reports that Tallinn opened its first drone training classroom on Friday at the Energia Discovery Centre, expanding opportunities for drone education in the city. The classroom will allow general education schools, children and young people to gain practical knowledge of rapidly developing drone technology.

Tallinn Deputy Mayor Kristjan Järvan said the field offered young people the chance to acquire skills needed in the future labour market.

“Tallinn wants to be a city where technology, education and innovation go hand in hand. The drone classroom gives young people the opportunity to learn engineering, programming, electronics and aviation through practical activities, and to discover new career opportunities in the rapidly developing technology sector,” Järvan said.

Andrei Kante, Tallinn’s deputy mayor responsible for education, said drone training helped connect knowledge acquired at school with practical skills.

“The drone classroom is a concrete opportunity for physics, mathematics and programming to become tangible for young people rather than remaining only in textbooks. Such practical learning environments are important for engineering skills to become part of everyday school education and for young people to find their way into technical and technology-related fields,” Kante said.

Drone clubs for children aged 8 to 11 and young people aged 12 to 16 have operated at the Energia Discovery Centre since September 8. From October, Tallinn general education schools will be able to order drone education programmes.

Children and young people can also get their first introduction to drones at the centre’s urban camps from the age of eight. Public sessions on the city’s drone football pitch, built as part of the Test in Tallinn project, take place at the centre every day at noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. The sessions are open to children and adults.

Darja Saar, chief executive of the Energia Discovery Centre, said drone technology attracted young people and helped spark their interest in engineering.

“A first experience of flying an FPV drone or playing drone football makes young people’s eyes light up and awakens their interest in technology and engineering. From there, they move on to skills such as 3D modelling and printing, programming, and more advanced studies of physics and mathematics,” Saar said.

The Energia Discovery Centre has developed drone education for children and young people since March 2026 in cooperation with the Tallinn Technical and Science Centre Foundation, the City of Tallinn and the HobiZone club as part of the Test in Tallinn project. The city of Tallinn funded the construction of the drone classroom.