Building a High School GEOINT Career Pathway

“Entry to Executive” high school program, developed in partnership between USGIF and Gateway Global American Youth and Business Alliance Academies Inc., approved for accreditation.

Zekita's student cohort August 2021 pic

The United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) partnered with Gateway Global American Youth and Business Alliance Academies Inc. (GGAYBA) — an education management and workforce solutions provider in the St. Louis region — to bring an industry certification program titled Entry to Executive to Missouri high school students. The program allows students to work toward a geospatial intelligence industry credential while pursuing a high school diploma.

“For the past year, Gateway Global American Youth and Business Alliance Academies has worked to raise youth awareness about GEOINT career opportunities,” said Gateway Global CEO Zekita Armstrong Asuquo. “Our students have learned how stackable credentials coupled with higher education can put them on a pathway to more role responsibility and higher pay within the industry.”

GGAYBA serves under-resourced youth in urban and rural communities from challenged school districts and low-income or single-parent homes at risk for food and home insecurity.

“These students, while capable, often lack awareness, access, and aspirations toward industries leading the future and are generally focused first on work experience that leads to more education,” Asuquo said. “GGAYBA is proud to have a model that meets young Americans where they are by offering high-school level training and credentials in GEOINT connected to work experience within industry. We believe that offering the current credential and related stackables is a sure way to contribute to a racially and geographically diverse pipeline that will keep the U.S. government and companies globally competitive now and in the future.”

After a successful pilot, GGAYBA’s Geospatial Technician Program with Emphasis on Geospatial Intelligence has been approved to be accredited. This is a big achievement toward growing the GEOINT workforce in the St. Louis area.

 

“This is a great part of a collaborative local and regional effort to increase interest and understanding in GEOINT career pathways,” said USGIF Vice President of Academic Affairs and Professional Development Camelia Kantor, Ph.D. “We are thrilled to be working with GGAYBA, an organization whose core values align with our mission.”

About Gateway Global American Youth and Business Alliance Academies Inc.

Gateway Global American Youth and Business Alliance Academies Inc. (GGAYBA) is an education management and workforce solutions provider. The organization specializes in STEM-based apprenticeship education and workforce development solutions aimed at entry-level tech positions that can progress into management and beyond. AYBAA believes the answers to business workforce issues have solutions that begin with K-12. The mission of GGAYBA is to keep U.S. companies globally competitive by supplying them with a skilled and educated workforce in now and next-generation technologies for the 21st century.

For more information, please visit ggayba.com.

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