Meet the Team – Andy Huggett – EMEA Training Manager
Training Manager EMEA at Consortiq
How long have you been with CQ and what got you interested in this industry?
I started with Consortiq (CQ) as a freelance instructor in 2017, moving to a permanent position in 2019 as training manager.
I’ve always had an interest in technology. I was a radio engineer in the British Army before serving as a UK police officer for 30 years.
Nearing the end of my contract, I saw the unmanned aviation field as an interesting business area that I could move into upon leaving. I undertook my training to gain a CAA permission with Consortiq, and it began from there.
Before leaving the police, due to my training, I ended up flying the police drones for a couple of years.
What sort of things have you done to make the transition to remote work better?
Throughout my police career, I worked in areas that had a lot of autonomy: Police motorcyclist, intercept driver, etc.
This has left me quite able to work remotely. However, the integration into a whole team working remotely due to the pandemic has been fantastic with video conferencing used extensively, not only for course delivery, but also internally for communications and general discussions to keep the team spirit alive and creative juices flowing.
How do you feel that the company has adapted during the pandemic, as a whole?
We have always had an element of remote working, but the pandemic has meant that our clients and candidates are also experiencing the same remote working conditions.
This has led to a huge drive to put our course offerings and examinations into the online arena. This has been a lot of work, but very worthwhile.
What sort of things do you see happening in the drone industry in 2021?
Wow, where can I start?
The entire UK legislative structure changed to the new EU Regs as of 31st December 2020, so we are operating under completely different rules.
This has meant in turn a completely different training offering. Alongside this, I think the entire industry is realising the power and potential of unmanned tech, so we are positioned now as an industry to move more into working rather than theorising about what we can do.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I’ve been married to my beautiful wife for 26 years.
We have two teenage sons and two dogs. As well as being the training manager and chief pilot for CQ, I actually enjoy flying drones as a hobby. I’m teaching my youngest to fly manual radio control aircraft too.
On a side note, I build scale models (yep, of aircraft … but also of boats).
Check Andy out on the Unmanned Uncovered podcast below!
