After more than a year of working with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and Gateway Global American Youth and Business Alliance Academies Inc. (AYBAA), the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) Path to Industry Certification: High School Industry Geospatial-Intelligence Credentialing has been approved and added to the statewide high school industry-recognized credential list.

The inclusion of USGIF’s High School Industry Credential by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as an industry-recognized credential is just another demonstration of USGIF’s strong commitment to executing on its education and professional development goals.

“There is no doubt now that the GEOINT story needs to start early. Our efforts have focused on establishing the right partnerships and resources needed to expose high school students to the discipline and gain some prerequisite knowledge of the tradecraft,” said USGIF Vice President of Academic Affairs and Professional Development Camelia Kantor, Ph.D.

Entry to Executive is an industry certification program for Missouri high school students to encourage them to work toward a geospatial intelligence industry credential while pursuing a high school diploma. The pilot program began on June 15, 2020, as an all virtual training offered to Missouri students. For 12-weeks, students endured rigorous training in GIS and GEOINT, then some attempted and passed the USGIF GEOINT High School summative examination, earning an entry-level high school credential. The program gives students ages 16 to 19 the opportunity to earn skills and credentials that will qualify them for an entry-level apprenticeship or internship role as they pursue two or four-year degrees.

“As a next step, we seek industry, academia, and government’s support to answer the question: ‘What’s next?’ for these young minds. Industry apprenticeships, academic programs, government high school internship programs, and many other means to provide that next step for them become essential elements in continuing to grow a collaborative, customized, and intelligent GEOINT ecosystem,” said Kantor.