{"id":241860,"date":"2026-03-05T07:20:23","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T12:20:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=241860"},"modified":"2026-03-05T07:18:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T12:18:17","slug":"uconn-engineering-offering-ai-short-course-for-workforce-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2026\/03\/uconn-engineering-offering-ai-short-course-for-workforce-development\/","title":{"rendered":"UConn Engineering Offering AI Short Course For Workforce Development"},"content":{"rendered":"

UConn\u00a0College\u00a0of\u00a0Engineering\u00a0Associate Dean for Research George Bollas\u00a0has been selected for a\u00a0new grant to launch an artificial intelligence training program.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bollas, who is also the director of the\u00a0<\/span>Pratt & Whitney Institute for Advanced Systems Engineering<\/span><\/a>, will oversee UConn delivering\u00a0a cross-disciplinary, industry-inspired AI workflow agent\u00a0short course\u00a0that\u00a0fits\u00a0into\u00a0existing engineering degree pathways.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Gov. Ned Lamont announced last month the launch of the third phase of the Connecticut Tech Talent Accelerator (TTA 3.0), a statewide higher education innovation challenge designed to expand AI education and workforce training.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the governor\u2019s office, the initiative will accelerate the development of AI-skilled talent across Connecticut, strengthening the state\u2019s competitiveness in a rapidly evolving digital economy. UConn is one of seven colleges and universities participating.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Agentic AI has the potential to fundamentally transform how industry conducts engineering research and development, from accelerating design cycles to improving decision-making across complex systems,\u201d Bollas says. \u201cThrough\u00a0this program,\u00a0we are creating a direct pathway for Connecticut\u2019s engineers to integrate intelligent agents into real-world R&D environments, driving productivity, innovation, and competitive advantage.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bollas will launch AI-Enabled Guided Intelligent Systems (AEGIS),<\/span>\u00a0a new cross-disciplinary micro-credential designed to prepare Connecticut\u2019s engineering workforce to design, deploy, and govern agentic AI systems that complete multi-step engineering tasks. Unlike traditional AI courses focused on coding or model development, AEGIS is built for practicing engineers and advanced students who want to apply AI directly inside real enterprise workflows, without requiring a computer science background.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAEGIS reflects our commitment to embedding the latest technologies directly into the engineering workforce pipeline,\u201d says UConn Engineering Dean JC Zhao. \u201cBy integrating applied AI training into existing degree and professional pathways, we are strengthening Connecticut\u2019s competitiveness while preparing our students and industry partners to lead in an AI-driven economy.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The program will be codeveloped with Connecticut\u2019s major engineering employers, such as Pratt & Whitney and AWS.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

AEGIS will launch its pilot cohort in Summer 2026, serving engineers across multiple disciplines\u00a0including chemical, biomolecular, materials science, mechanical, electrical, and civil engineering.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The course will be offered through the\u00a0<\/span>Center for Advanced Engineering Education<\/span><\/a> (CAEE), which\u00a0offers classes,\u00a0certificates, and degrees designed for working professionals.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur center is designed to meet working professionals where they are, and AEGIS is a powerful example of that mission in action,\u201d says CAEE Director Nora Sutton.\u00a0\u201cThis program provides accessible, industry-aligned AI training that engineers can\u00a0immediately\u00a0apply in their organizations, without needing a computer science background.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

During the course, students will learn to:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n