St. Petersburg College

St. Petersburg College (SPC) has a history of innovation, collaboration with employers, and proven record of helping alumni achieve economic mobility. This EDA investment will help the college build on that success with the Geospatial/Artificial Intelligence (AI) STEM Training Program (GSTP). The program will create an innovative talent development pathway that will prepare students for careers in an AI technology-driven entrepreneurial economy. Tapping into relationships with a comprehensive network of employers and organizations, SPC will also increase regional innovation capacity by connecting GSTP to the larger entrepreneurial ecosystem within Pinellas County.

The skills learned through GSTP will translate to employment opportunities in a broad array of industry groups including the blue economy, agriculture, planning and surveying, security, and search and rescue. The Tampa Bay area is uniquely suited to offer many of those opportunities. GSTP will be an equity multiplier for socially and economically disadvantaged individuals by recruiting historically underrepresented participants. The GSTP will help close hiring gaps in the emerging technologies ecosystem, initiate business growth, and secure good paying jobs for participants.