Tallinn’s first drone training classroom opened today at the Energy Discovery Centre, expanding opportunities for drone education in the city and enabling general education schools, children and young people to gain practical knowledge of rapidly developing drone technology.
According to Tallinn Deputy Mayor Kristjan Järvan, drone technology is a rapidly developing field that offers young people an opportunity to acquire skills needed in the future labour market.
“Tallinn aims to be a city where technology, education and innovation go hand in hand. The drone training classroom gives young people the opportunity to learn about engineering, programming, electronics and aviation through practical activities, as well as to discover new career opportunities in the rapidly developing technology sector,” Järvan said.
Drone education for children and young people has been developed at the Energy Discovery Centre since March 2026 through cooperation between the Tallinn Centre for Technology and Science Foundation, the City of Tallinn and the HobiZone club as part of the Test in Tallinn project. The establishment of the drone training classroom was funded by the City of Tallinn.
According to Andrei Kante, Tallinn Deputy Mayor responsible for education, drone training helps connect knowledge acquired at school with practical skills.
“The drone training classroom provides a concrete opportunity for physics, mathematics and programming to move beyond textbooks and become tangible for young people. Such practical learning environments are important for bringing engineering skills into schools’ everyday teaching and helping young people find their way into technical and technological fields,” Kante said.
Since 8 September, the Energy Discovery Centre has hosted drone clubs for children and young people aged 8–11 and 12–16. From October, Tallinn’s general education schools will be able to book drone education programmes. Children and young people aged eight and above can also gain their first experience with drones at the Energy Discovery Centre’s city camps.
Public sessions at Tallinn’s drone soccer arena, established at the Energy Discovery Centre as part of the Test in Tallinn project, take place every day at 12:00, 14:00, 16:00 and 18:00 and are open to both children and adults.
According to Darja Saar, CEO of the Energy Discovery Centre, drone technology is one of the fields that appeals to young people and helps spark their interest in engineering.
“A first experience of flying an FPV drone or playing drone soccer makes young people’s eyes light up and awakens their interest in technology and engineering. From there, they move on to developing further skills, such as 3D modelling and printing, programming, and the advanced study of physics and mathematics,” Saar said.
The Estonian Association for Science and Technology Education has commissioned the Energy Discovery Centre to organise a nationwide drone technology festival. The festival will culminate in a national drone soccer competition, which will take place during the Great Space Day event in Tallinn on 23–24 April 2027.
The Tallinn Centre for Technology and Science Foundation was established in 1999 through cooperation between the City of Tallinn, Enefit, Utilitas and TalTech, with the aim of promoting technical and science education among young people. Together with the Energy Discovery Centre, its hobby school and the EnerHUB engineering incubator, which it operates, the foundation is one of Estonia’s key centres for engineering education.
Source: tallinn.ee
