Southern’s Office of Workforce and Lifelong Learning (OWLL) is opening doors for hundreds of nontraditional students seeking to boost their skills through short-term, skill-based education.
Lexie Hratko is one of those students. She began taking cybersecurity classes with the goal of “moving up in the world and continuing with personal development and growth.” Through OWLL, she transitioned from a part-time retail customer service job to a full-time administrative assistant role in higher education, gaining greater financial stability. Her coursework in artificial intelligence, Amazon Web Services, Google cybersecurity, and Python has helped her explore the broader world of technology and build a foundation for multiple career paths.
“I am open to learning more and branching out, because there’s tons of different avenues when it comes to technology,” she said. “Tech and computer science are huge umbrellas.”
OWLL’s reach extends well beyond technology. The program also offers courses in medical Spanish, medical billing, tourism and hospitality, a NextGen Parent Academy, and even a drone academy. Now in its second year, OWLL served more than 1,000 students last academic year.
According to Amy Feest, OWLL’s senior director, the program is ideal for individuals seeking a new career or looking to grow in their current roles. “A lot of times somebody doesn’t have the ability—whether it’s time or finances—to go back and take a traditional degree program, and they just need specific skills,” she said. “That’s where we come in. We provide short-term training that someone might need.”
Courses range from a few days to a few months, many offered in the evenings or on weekends for students balancing full-time jobs or childcare responsibilities. Most are delivered virtually, offering flexibility for nontraditional learners. Feest noted that OWLL also partners directly with employers to provide specialized training. “One local town is looking for supervisory training for employees, so we’re developing a lunch-and-learn series where staff will come online a couple of times a week for a few weeks,” she said.
Another important access point for students is The WorkPlace in Bridgeport, which covers tuition through the Good Jobs Challenge Grant. Because OWLL course fees range from $99 to $2,000, the partnership significantly expands opportunities for individuals seeking career advancement or a new start. In fact, Hratko came to OWLL through The WorkPlace, as did Taevon Walker.
Walker recently completed OWLL’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) training and “is a huge success story,” said Feest. An electrician by trade, Walker first learned about OWLL when Mark Lazarus of The WorkPlace spoke at his church. After spending time in college studying engineering and later math, and then working in the building trades, Walker was still searching for a career that felt like the right fit. The cybersecurity pathway presented through OWLL immediately sparked his interest.
“My passion just ignited right away,” Walker said. “I was doing my own research, watching videos to learn what cybersecurity is, what the jobs are, what you can do. I was listening to podcasts at work. I was so involved with it.” He decided to give the OWLL coursework a try.
Since then, he has completed Python 1 and 2, Generative AI, SQL, Introductory and Intermediate AWS Cloud courses, and CMMC. “I don’t want to ever stop learning,” he said.
After passing the CMMC exam, Walker became a CMMC Certified Professional (CCP), qualifying him to assess organizations within the Department of Defense’s industrial base. The certification has already opened several promising opportunities. “I couldn’t be more grateful. I’m just appreciative of the OWLL program and The WorkPlace,” he said.
For someone who began without a background in computer science, the progress has been transformative. “There’s a lot of information, but I like pushing myself and sticking with it,” he said. “The more I studied, the more accomplished I felt.”
Walker’s momentum continues to build. “It’s been an upward trajectory for me,” he said. “I love my trade, but this is something I can be more passionate about. I can always keep my electrician’s license, but this is once in a lifetime. I’m going to take all the opportunities I can from the program and make the best of it. I want to keep pushing myself and bettering myself.”
And Walker’s path continues to trend upward: in October, he passed his CompTIA Security+ exam, and now he has become an OWLL trainer, teaching a CompTIA Security+ class, which prepares students for the CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) certification exam, the industry standard for foundational cybersecurity skills.
“We are so excited to be a part of Taevon’s journey, watching him move from OWLL student to OWLL trainer!” said Feest. “His experience is an inspiration to our learners, and his ability to understand their barriers will help ensure they make it to the finish line.”
