ST. LOUIS 鈥 A local workforce development organization is starting a program for people in the geospatial field who aspire to advance their careers.
The program, offered by nonprofit Gateway Global at its new education center in north 最新杏吧原创, aims to be a part of making the area the national headquarters for the geospatial industry.
The training facility will host its first Entry to Executive program in September at the former Most Holy Trinity Catholic School. The remodeling was funded with $8 million in donations and state grants.
A year and a half after renovations began on the 28,000-square-foot building on Mallinckrodt Street in Hyde Park, the Geospatial & IT Workforce & Apprenticeship Center (GIWAC) opened its doors last week.
The site is about a mile and a half from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency鈥檚 new headquarters under construction.
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The Entry to Executive program is offered to people over 24 years old who have earned a United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) accreditation and are seeking a management role in the field, CEO Zekita Armstrong-Asuquo said.
Gateway Global is the nation鈥檚 first and only center that offers national accreditation in geospatial intelligence at the high school level.
GIWAC also offered its first summer program for 16- to 24-year-olds in the new facility.
The program allowed 50 students from across the region to train in geospatial intelligence and geographic information systems for eight weeks.
Students鈥 mornings consisted of a two-hour learning session followed by an afternoon of solving real-world problems, all while getting paid like an internship.
鈥淗aving a space for young people to learn geospatial technologies is critical,鈥 Armstrong-Asuquo said.
The historic space was built in 1884, and has been converted to fit six classrooms that seat 25 students in each. In two learning spaces, there are about 80 computers for student use.
鈥淚t was a dark old building before,鈥 Armstrong-Asuquo said.
Original finishes like the wooden staircase handrail, copper wall panels in the former chapel and stained glass above the front doors can be found throughout the building.
Armstrong-Asuquo said her team is working to fill the building with students by hiring experts who will create curriculum for young adults.
鈥淭his is where you start (learning),鈥 Armstrong Asuquo said. 鈥淭his is not where you stop.鈥
With dreams of creating a campus designated to geospatial technologies and related fields, Armstrong-Asuquo said this is only one of many future facilities she hopes Global Gateways will build in North 最新杏吧原创.
The next project, a geospatial simulation theater, will break ground next summer. It is anticipated to open by the end of 2026.
Being from North 最新杏吧原创, Armstrong-Asuquo said the GIWAC project is important to her.
鈥淚 grew up a few minutes from here,鈥 Armstrong-Asuquo said. 鈥淭his is all very near and dear to me.鈥
