UMSL and Scale AI are launching a collaborative education effort to support geospatial workforce development in the St. Louis region.

The University of Missouri–St. Louis is committed to playing a leading role in workforce development as it looks to feed the region’s growing geospatial and defense tech sector.

Scale AI has been at the center of that expanding industry since it opened its downtown St. Louis office with more than 200 employees in 2022. The technology company works to accelerate the development of artificial intelligence by providing high-quality data for training and validating AI models, and those efforts are foundational in advancing national security, autonomous systems and large-scale data operations.

A new collaborative education effort between the company and the UMSL Geospatial Collaborative will help equip students with the Geographic Information System – or GIS – skills they need for success in the industry through their participation in UMSL’s GIS Certificate program. Under the two-year agreement, Scale AI will provide a grant to fund $5,000 scholarships each year for two GIS students. Scale employees will also be eligible to receive Prior Learning Credit for their geospatial training and on-the-job experience at Scale if they choose to pursue a GIS Certificate at UMSL.

“Scale AI is driving innovation at the intersection of artificial intelligence and national security,” said UMSL Geospatial Collaborative Director Reda Amer, whose strategic vision and engagement with Scale AI were instrumental in bringing the agreement to fruition. “This partnership reflects UMSL’s growing leadership in geospatial workforce development. We’re excited to equip Scale employees with cutting-edge geospatial skills that directly support their mission-critical work and strengthen the broader geospatial ecosystem.”

The partnership accelerates members of Scale’s workforce toward earning university-level geospatial credentials, while broadening their skillsets to deliver AI-ready geospatial datasets to national security customers. Additionally, Scale will contribute classroom space and virtual learning options for their workforce to participate in these classes during normal working hours as part of their investment in workforce development.

“Scale wants members of our workforce to continue to advance, learn, and build a full career in our nation’s geospatial practice,” said Dan Tadross, Scale AI’s Head of Public Sector.  “Our employees are on the forefront of this critical work for the U.S. Government and the partnership with UMSL will ensure our customers continue to receive world class results. Just as importantly, Scale is committed to building the workforce of the future in St. Louis and that means investing in a workforce that will be able to service the geospatial industry for years to come right here in Missouri.”

As AI development accelerates, Scale and UMSL have agreed to work together on future development opportunities that challenge the frontiers of technology and the geospatial industry. Scale will have a seat on UMSL’s Geospatial Advisory Board, and it will continue to explore ways to further integrate its AI expertise with UMSL’s Geospatial Collaborative.

Through this collaboration, Scale and UMSL will bring together Scale’s workforce on UMSL’s campus to connect with GIS students in events such as lunch and learns, YouthMappers chapter meetings and other special programs, including UMSL’s Geospatial Summer Camps. The company also will create job opportunities for UMSL’s students and graduates at Scale’s St. Louis AI Center.

As a further sign of the collaboration, UMSL Chancellor Kristin Sobolik will be part of a panel at Scale AI’s inaugural St. Louis Summit, which will take place Friday morning at Scale’s St. Louis AI Center in downtown. Sobolik and other panelists will be discussing the future of the region as a geospatial and a defense tech hub.