Our mission is to close the gap between advancing technology skills needed

by American employers and skills attained by the younger workforce living in

underserved urban and rural areas. We create a direct link to engagement Gateway Global
and commitment between economic development and workforce American Youth
development enabling American companies to compete globally and workers and Business
and their families to prosper locally.
Alliance
“The lack of properly skilled workforce [for middle skilled jobs] is hindering the ability of American
businesses to compete globally.” ~Harvard Business Review
 Entry to Executive Program
Start
Our E to E program guides workers through the
planning process for career and education
pathways during apprenticeships and
employment. Our uniquely designed program
integrates big picture thinking with individual
contributor work. We offer critical skills training
for ages 16-24 while connecting them to
employment and credentialing and offering
support and guidance throughout the process.
The “E to E Program” is designed to integrate
training, experiential learning, career planning
and enrichment all centered on micro and macro
perspectives like individual contribution, global
context and leadership. Our goal is to train and
place workers in skilled jobs ensuring that they
have an opportunity for social and economic
mobility. Our hope is to create awareness of
opportunities, inspire aspirations for bright
futures and success, and provide people access
to direct links that will help them achieve their
goals. Our plan is to foster higher levels of
achievement in communities with high
unemployment, low skills, and lack of educational
and support alternatives that fit their unique and
immediate needs.
Finish
Apprenticeship Works
Across Europe apprenticeship programs are a
proven success strategy for building workforce and
providing and sustaining middle class incomes and
lifestyles to families. As partners of national and
international associations, we help educate
American businesses on the benefits of having
registered apprenticeships, meeting industry
standards, connect them with apprenticeship
program structure and implementation, and
pipeline prospective apprentices to meet the needs
of their immediate and future workforce.
Why It Works
• 91% of workers will find employment
after completing their program
• Average starting wage is above
$60,000
• Programs last one to four years
ensuring proper training
• Increased employer production and
decreased employee turnover
• Improvement of overall employer
performance and creates
competitive advantage in industry
What We Do
• Apprenticeship pipelining
• Industry diversification
• Outreach and career planning
• Assessment
• Case Management
• Critical soft skills training
• Apprenticeship placement and retention
• Apprenticeship employer admin support
Gateway Global American Youth & Business Alliance
2200 N. Lindbergh Blvd. #630 hello@gatewayglobaldl.com
(314)473-6897
Workforce
In 2014 US President Barak Obama increased the
apprenticeship goal to 750, 000. In 2017, US
President Trump signed an executive order to
expand apprenticeship programs across the US and
setting a goal of 5 million in efforts to prevent
skilled jobs from being unfilled. There is a known
“skills gap” in America that if neglected, will leave
millions of jobs unfilled. The “skills gap” is prevalent
in dis-advantaged communities with low
employment. Workforce concerns can be remedied
through innovative measures that marry the
importance of education with the urgency of
employment.
Industries
• Advanced Manufacturing
• Science & Technology
• Logistics
• Energy
Populations Served
Gateway Global AYBA serves youth and young
adults ages 16-24 in urban and rural areas:
✓ High School students
✓ GED students
✓ Youth program members
✓ Community College students
✓ Recent 4 year college graduates
✓ Women
✓ Veterans
✓ Juvenile detention centers
Enhancement
• Social and emotional support
• Trauma informed support
• Socioeconomic development support
 1. Go into employers that qualify for non-traditional or white collar
apprenticeship roles, educate them on the benefit of apprenticeships,
ROI, short turn around for registration – assist with converting into
registered apprenticeship sponsors with goals geared towards hiring
apprentices from Promise Zone and Targeted Employment Areas, connect
them resources for getting registered and with resources for setting up
apprenticeship to meet industry standards (NIMS)

Simplified 2. Go into the schools and educate students and parents on benefits of
apprenticeships, get students registered with GG AYBA, match them with
a registered apprenticeship program based on their interest, provide them

Model with a general work readiness (soft skills) training (on site at the school),
pipeline them into post-secondary credentialing

3. Connect students to registered employer for apprenticeship interview

Employment Pipelining
Gateway Global AYBA operates year round using high school and college standard semesters as the benchmark for
completing programming and events. We fully utilize the first six (6) months of a school year for recruitment and
pipelining potential apprentices to fill jobs. Pipelining youth and young adults into skilled labor is critical for American
businesses. HBR reports that by 2022, the participation of 76 million baby boomers in the labor force will drop from
80% to below 40%. Apprenticeships is a win for youth and for employers. Registered apprenticeships provide
employment to students and ensure that employers are cultivating dedicated and capable workers - preventing high
turnover and replacing retirees.

Comprehensive Industry Outlook Training- Workforce Training (Soft Skills) – Apprentice

Career Planning Support Up to 2 Years Post-Graduation – Assessments – Placement –
Apprentice Onboarding Support
Goal
The overarching goal is to ensure that all youth and young adults receive the
education and training needed to equip them with the skills that will help them to
be successful in post-secondary education or the workforce. Our mission is to
ensure that every young person has an opportunity and the tools needed to flourish
regardless of what path they take post high school graduation.

Objectives
Gateway Global AYBA provides youth, young adults and their families with
information, tools and pathways to prepare them for higher education or “middle
skilled” and relevant employment after graduating high school.
All students graduate from high school.
All students leave high school equipped with the information and tools necessary
to ensure that they will be ready to succeed in post-secondary education or in the
workforce.
Students interested in apprenticeship post-graduation will receive guidance,
training and placement prior to graduation to ensure that there are no gaps
between graduation and employment – reducing the risk of choices that may have
a negative life impact.
All students will receive basic workforce readiness training composed primarily of
“soft skills” training with an emphasis on communication, critical thinking,
adaptability, teamwork, conflict resolution, goal setting, and pathway preparation.
Reduce unemployment rate among older youth and improve their career
prospects by enabling them to set goals and plan and understand pathways.
Increase the number of skilled worker talent pool for businesses in the St. Louis
metropolitan area and across the state of Missouri.
Act as a conduit providing a direct link between youth, young adults, higher
education and training and employers needing a pipeline for critical and relevant
industries.
 Looking Ahead
• Community information on what apprenticeships are
Awareness and their benefits

• Inspiring hope for social and economic mobility

Aspiration through career pathways

• Having direct link to desired outcome

Access

• Fully utilizing resources and gaining employment

Application

We have three main targeted categories of recruits for the E to E program.

Primary Group: High school juniors and seniors and young adults in St. Louis city and county high schools
including both Promise Zone and Targeted Employment Areas
Secondary Group: High school juniors and seniors in other under-resourced or underserved areas of
Missouri and college graduates interested in new career or credentialing opportunities
Tertiary Group: Low income youth and young adults in workforce programs, low income youth pregnant
or parenting, high school dropouts obtained or obtaining GED, juvenile delinquents in detention centers
or preparing for release
 • High school junior or senior
• Young adults ages 18-24
• St. Louis City or County Promise Zone
resident
• St. Louis City or County Targeted
Employment Area resident
Apprentice • High School Diploma or GED (unless
enrolled in high school)
Qualifications • Full background screening
• Authorized to work in the United States
• Willingness to take initial assessment
and global economy seminars (US
foreign policy, global trade, global
energy, global technology, global
security, and geopolitics) prior to
training and apprenticeship placement
Selling the opportunity
Demonstrating the key differences between standard internships and apprenticeships and
highlighting the financial and experiential benefits of apprenticeships

Apprenticeships Internships
• Increasing expansion across industries backed by • Numerous opportunities across industries, but
government and corporations with an interest in highly competitive
talent pipelines
• Longer term, lasting one to four years with pay, • Typically limited to individuals enrolled in a two
experiential training, a dedicated mentor and or four year college program – excluding high
earned credential(s) school graduates who
• Immediate “earning while learning” eliminating
the need to survive while obtaining an education • Some are paid, many are unpaid with the
and skills promise of an interview or potential placement
after graduation
• An investment for employers offering a 40-50%
rate of return on apprenticeship programs • Primarily environmental learning with less
• No longer just for building trades like experiential “hands-on” project based learning
construction, expansion across industries and
disciplines • Enters full time paid workforce often in need of
• Experiential “hands-on” and project based preparation, technical skills, and soft skills
learning and classroom learning is tied to actual
work performed
• Enters full time paid workforce fully prepared
with technical and soft skills
• More than 90% chance that apprentice will come
out of the experience with an actual job from the
employer
 • Working with leading
workforce agencies to
strengthen the relationships
with employers
• Working with corporations
to educate on the benefits

CCM of sponsoring registered

apprenticeships
• Working with local
educational institutions on
student recruitment prior to
graduation (includes: high
school, junior college, and
four year colleges or
universities)
• Working with
parents/guardians to
Community as Capacity Multiplier educate high school
students on apprenticeships
in growing industries
• Working with community
Community as Capacity Multiplier organizations to expose
members to apprenticeship
opportunities and industry
opportunities for
credentialing
Founder
Zekita Armstrong Asuquo is the President of Gateway Global American
Youth & Business Alliance Academies.

Zekita previously served as Director of Social Enterprise for a nonprofit

women's recovery facility helping to build its social enterprise product
line, managed business operations, vendors and partners, and created
the organization's workforce preparedness program "Adjusting to Work"
for recovering women re-entering the workforce. She has also held
position of Diversity Manager with a $70 million IT recruiting and
consulting firm overseeing a diversity portfolio with more than 300+
billable consultants in 35 states, where she successfully helped to build
the personal brands of leadership through media, community partners
and events and business development through targeted supplier
diversity partners.
Zekita has been featured and published by countless newspapers and
some of the most influential online publications across the U.S and
abroad including ABC World News, Diversity Journal and The Root. She
has been interviewed by CNN commentator and radio show host, Roland
S.Martin (Chicago), The Intersection with award winning journalist,
Rebecca Roberts (DC), the Charlie Brennan Show on CBS/KMOX Radio
(STL), The Bernie Hayes Show (STL), and many more.

She served on the planning committee of the University of Missouri St.

Louis (UMSL) Breast Cancer Survivor Project, a former member of the
board of directors for CWAH, and served as the 2012 General Chair of
the Annual Circle of Support Gala and Jazz Concert. Zekita is also a
former member of the Harris Stowe State University Workforce
Preparedness Advisory Council (WPAC) for students and alumni. She
currently serves as chair of Gateway Global AYBA & ALCES board, a
member of Opera Theatre St. Louis' Engagement and Inclusion
committee and is standing President of St. Louis Chapter of National
Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO).

Zekita currently lives in St. Louis, MO with her daughters Yanahni and
Eno.