St. Petersburg College was awarded $323,832 from the federal government to develop its artificial intelligence and geospatial training program.
The college participated in the STEM Talent Challenge, a nationwide competition recognizing science, technology, engineering and math talent to stimulate regional STEM development. The 11 winning colleges were chosen from 90 applicants, and the colleges will match the federal funding in support.
SPC won for the geospatial/AI STEM training program. Other winners include programs in Georgia, Texas, Ohio, California, Missouri, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Arkansas and Washington.
The STEM Talent Challenge is a U.S. Economic Development Administration competition. It supports programs as a way to develop “regional innovation economies nationwide,” according to a release. The money awarded will go to SPC’s initiative to create an outlet for students to learn and network in technology. It also will help the college connect to a network of organizations and the Pinellas County entrepreneurial ecosystem.
“The STEM Talent Challenge helps communities leverage their greatest asset — people,” said Alejandra Y. Castillo, assistant secretary of commerce for economic development. “We are thrilled to partner with these 11 grant recipients to strengthen training programs and apprenticeship opportunities that will ensure that individuals can build careers in STEM fields in their communities. This program builds on EDA’s mission of seeding the emerging and critical industries of tomorrow and ensuring that we are strengthening a workforce that can propel these sectors to success.”
Students who participate in SPC’s program will learn skills that apply to industries like agriculture, planning and surveying, security, and search and rescue, according to the release. The program will also be a way to support economically disadvantaged individuals by mandating at least half of the participants come from underrepresented backgrounds, and it will attempt to help students get jobs in emerging technologies and at well-paying businesses. The college will match the funding with $325,474 in contributions.
The program comes from a collaborative idea between a few departments to accelerate opportunities and develop the workforce, said Emmanuel Hernandez, SPC College of Business dean.
“We thought that being able to train people in drone technology, surveying for construction purposes or land surveying, for all their applications, like GPS development, etc., could be a great way for people to get their foot in the door and start building a career path toward higher-paying jobs or better opportunities in the tech field,” Hernández said.
The program will launch Nov. 1 and will likely see its first cohort of members in February 2024. Each cohort will be a group of 17 people a year, with three cohorts at a time. The groups are set to spend two years learning. Scholarship opportunities will be available for members.
The program will also partner with the Tampa Bay Innovation Center to run aspects of the program and share resources. Pinellas County Economic Development will also assist with training and certifications.
“This new opportunity will bring SPC students and participants into those high-end jobs that, in the past, they might have gone through different institutions or different pathways, and maybe SPC would not have been considered a major player to create and develop that workforce. And now we will have that capability and grow from there,” Hernandez said.
