SITA × American Resource Center
AI Bootcamp: Building the Future of Software
The AI Bootcamp is a premium, intensive training programme designed to address the rapidly evolving demands of the global tech industry.
Organized by the Serbian IT Association (SITA) and supported by the American Resource Center (ARC), this bootcamp bridges the gap between software engineering theory and real-world, production-ready AI implementation.
Free
The programme is entirely free of charge
20 participants
A small, highly selective cohort
12 weeks
Workshops and final project development
What is the AI Bootcamp?
The AI Bootcamp was created to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and the real-world needs of the industry. Through hands-on project work and a simulated real-development environment, the program transforms theoretical understanding into engineering autonomy. The ultimate goal is simple: to prepare job-ready, AI-native engineers who can immediately step into roles and get hired by local IT companies.
The AI Bootcamp is an intensive, 12-week project-based training program. Instead of passive learning, this bootcamp operates on the principle of “learning by doing.”
Throughout the program, participants will experience the fast-paced workflow of a modern development team, delivering functional software along the way. By the end of this journey, you will transform from someone who merely understands artificial intelligence concepts into an engineer capable of designing, building, deploying, and defending sophisticated, AI-native applications from scratch.
Important Note
This programme is entirely free of charge. Our ultimate goal is to equip you with highly practical, market-ready skills so that upon graduation, you are fully prepared to secure employment as an AI engineer in leading local IT companies.
Who is this Programme For?
This bootcamp is tailored for junior technical learners and software engineers who want to master practical AI toolsets and application development.
Who should apply?
- STEM Students: Active students from technical faculties (FON, ETF, RAF, MATF) aged 19 to 25.
- Recent Graduates: Young professionals up to 30 years old who have recently completed their degrees.
- Transitioning Engineers: Established engineers undergoing a career transition or seeking to upskill in AI.
You are a great fit if…
- You can write basic Python.
- You have used the terminal to run a command.
- You want to build actual products, not just learn theory.
- You are curious about AI APIs and practical agentic tooling.
This may not be the right fit if…
- You have never written code before.
- You need a purely lecture-based format.
- You cannot commit to the required weekly hours.
Key Organizational Details
Format
In-person workshops.
Location
American Resource Center (ARC) premises in Ložionica.
Timing
Classes are held on Wednesdays and Fridays from 17:00 to 19:45.
Equipment & Licenses
Participants bring their own laptops. SITA and ARC provide all necessary software licenses.
Duration
12 weeks in total: 10 weeks of workshops and 2 weeks of final project development.
Language
Lectures are in Serbian; learning materials, documentation, and coursework are in English.
Weekly Commitment
Expect 6+ hours of workshop time, plus independent project work.
Cohort Size
Limited to 20 participants for personalized mentorship and high-quality interaction.
Credentials
An official certificate upon successful completion and defense of the final capstone project.
Workshop Schedule & Application Process
Workshop Schedule & Class Dates
Classes will be held on the following dates:
- September: 2, 4, 9, 11, 16, 18, 23, 25, 30
- October: 2, 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, 23, 28, 30
- November: 4, 6, 10, 13, 18, 20
Selection Process
Places are limited to maintain high educational quality.
- Online Application: Fill out the online application form.
- Admissions Decision: Successful candidates will be offered a place in the upcoming cohort.
Applications Open: 17.07.2026.
Applications Close: 05.08.2026.
Programme Duration: September 2nd – November 24th, 2026.
Programme Curriculum & Skills Acquired
The AI Bootcamp curriculum and syllabus were developed with the aim of directly responding to the current demands and technical needs of the IT market in Serbia. More than 20 AI experts and engineers from leading domestic and global IT companies operating in our market worked on defining the modules, planning the classes, creating the program, and selecting the technologies. The people behind the program are: Marko Mitrović (EPAM), Viktor Nagy (EPAM), Dimitrije Jovanović (EPAM), Miloš Kajkut (EPAM), Nedeljko Damnjanović (EPAM), Nenad Vujičić (EPAM), Norbert Nemet (EPAM), Siniša Stević (EPAM), Vanja Bijalković (EPAM), Borivoje Kovač (Endava), Siniša Andrić (Endava), Aleksandar Vujić (Endava), Stevan Đorđević (Endava), Marko Pavković (Endava), and Marko Potkonjak (Endava) and others.
A number of engineers from the group of creators will also be involved in the teaching process itself as lecturers and mentors, and the final schedule by modules will be published before the start of the program.
Modules
- AI-native engineering foundations
- Python and API foundations for AI apps
- Prompting, context and structured outputs
- Tool calling and API integration
- Stateful workflows and simple agentic patterns
- RAG fundamentals
- RAG quality and controlled improvement
- Evaluation and capstone approval
- Security, responsible AI, and capstone risk hardening
- Reproducibility and release-candidate gate
- Capstone hardening, clinics, and review
- Final project defence
Ready to build the future?
Apply for the SITA AI Bootcamp through the official application form.
