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Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ and LaunchCode Partner to Bring Hands-On AI Training to St. Louis

by Darla Ferrario

Representation of person working on computer with LaunchCode at Ä¢¹½´«Ã½

Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ of St. Louis and LaunchCode have established a new partnership to deliver in-person AI training across the St. Louis region. Under the agreement, LaunchCode will provide its online technology-education curriculum, and Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ will convert that curriculum into in-person instructional experiences delivered by its own faculty and subject matter experts.

The partnership combines LaunchCode’s decade-plus track record of free, accessible tech education with Ä¢¹½´«Ã½’s instructional capacity, facilities, and student support infrastructure. Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ will manage scheduling, registration, and day-to-day program operations, while LaunchCode contributes curriculum access and updates, with the option to provide a volunteer teaching assistant drawn from its own graduates to help facilitate sessions alongside Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ instructors.

The collaboration broadens access to AI upskilling in the St. Louis area at a moment when employers across the region are working to adopt AI tools while protecting and growing their tech workforce.

In-person trainings begin August 1, 2026. Companies interested in scheduling AI training sessions for their teams can contact Arren Romeril, Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ at aromeril1@maryville.edu to learn more and reserve a session.

In Their Words

“​Our regional workforce needs real ​AI skills, not just AI awareness. LaunchCode’s partnership with Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ brings hands-on AI learning access to St. Louis.â€�

— Dan Shipp, President, Ä¢¹½´«Ã½

“This represents the type of collaboration we seek to help the region prosper. AI is here, but AI adoption has not yet fully taken hold. Together, with LaunchCode online and Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ on the ground, we have a scalable approach.â€�

— Michael Palmer, AI Innovator in Residence, Ä¢¹½´«Ã½

“Anyone willing to work​ hard​ should have access to great jobs. Intelligent automation is creating tectonic shifts in talent pipelines and education, and this partnership helps us meet ​those shifts​​ ​head-on.�

— Gabe Lozano, CEO, LaunchCode

“​​Every major technology shift: electricity, automobiles, computers created more jobs than it displaced. But each one required a different kind of worker. AI will be no different. LaunchCode is ensuring that St. Louis is a market leader in building that new workforce.​​​​ ​​�

— Drew Winship, Chief Strategy Officer, LaunchCode Foundation

Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ Ä¢¹½´«Ã½

Founded in 1872, Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ is a comprehensive and nationally ranked private institution with an enrollment of well over 9,000 students. Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ offers over 90 degrees at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels, as well as several certificates that align with the undergraduate and graduate education levels. Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ is recognized as the third fastest-growing private university in the United States by The Chronicle of Higher Education, serving students from 50 states and 56 countries. More than 50,000 Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ alumni globally, many of whom work and live in the St. Louis region.

 

Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ LaunchCode

The ​​​ is a St. Louis-based nonprofit founded in 2013 that builds pathways into technology careers through free training and paid apprenticeships, helping close the tech-talent gap for learners who have not traditionally had access to the field. ​In 2026, LaunchCode launched , a free AI workforce-training and job-placement program that equips job seekers with practical, hands-on AI skills and connects them directly with employers ready to hire. ​

LaunchCode
LaunchCode partners with Ä¢¹½´«Ã½

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