Southern Connecticut State University’s Office of Workforce and Lifelong Learning (OWLL) is earning statewide praise for offering flexible, affordable pathways to in-demand jobs — and it’s growing faster than anticipated.
In a recent Hartford Courant feature, Senior Program Director Amy Feest described OWLL as “an on-ramp to employment and upscaling existing careers,” providing an option for learners who may not have the time, finances, or interest in pursuing a traditional college degree. “It’s usually much less expensive [than a degree] but ends up as a credential,” said Feest. “We are growing at a rate that we did not anticipate.”
The program offers non-credit and microcredential courses in high-demand fields like cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, nonprofit management, medical Spanish, and drone technology — with most courses ranging from $50 to $3,000. Many are available online and can be completed in just hours or weeks.
“A lot of times people don’t see themselves as being successful in college,” Feest noted, “but this is like college,” complete with syllabi, homework, and rigorous material. She added that the program often changes students’ perceptions: “College isn’t as scary as they thought.”
For Lisa Rudd, a nurse practitioner in North Carolina, an online medical Spanish course through OWLL was a game-changer. “I already see a difference from the class,” she said. “I had zero competency and now I can understand things.”
Taevon Walker, 27, of Ansonia, is using OWLL courses to break into a cybersecurity and tech career. After leaving a traditional university due to cost and irrelevance of general education requirements, he found OWLL’s course offerings more aligned with his goals. “I want to get a foot in the door for cybersecurity,” he said. “I feel like I’ll be able to land a job or career and scale up from there.”
