SITA × American Resource Center
AI Bootcamp: Building the Future of Software
The AI Engineering 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
14 weeks
Workshops and capstone development
What is the AI Engineering Bootcamp?
Today’s tech companies do not just need engineers who know how to write standard code; they need builders capable of seamlessly weaving Artificial Intelligence into the core of modern software. This programme is a direct response to that demand, preparing the next generation of local tech talent to lead the AI-native wave.
The AI Engineering Bootcamp is an intensive, 12-week, project-based training programme. Instead of passive learning, abstract coding puzzles, or dry academic lectures, this bootcamp operates on the principle of “learning by doing”.
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.
Throughout the programme, participants experience the fast-paced reality of a modern development team, shipping working, version-controlled software on a weekly basis. By the end of this journey, you will transform from someone who simply understands AI concepts into an engineer capable of designing, building, deploying, and defending sophisticated, AI-native applications from scratch.
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
All classes are held from 17:00 to 19:45.
Equipment & Licenses
Participants bring their own laptops. SITA and ARC provide all necessary software licenses.
Duration
14 weeks in total: 12 weeks of intensive workshops and capstone 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.
- Readiness Diagnostic: Complete a short technical diagnostic covering basic coding and logic skills.
- 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
Our mentors and lecturers are top-tier AI experts from SITA actively working in the Serbian IT sector. Rather than utilizing generic classroom examples, they bring real-world challenges straight from local production environments, showing you exactly how industry leaders solve complex AI bottlenecks in real time. The lecturing team includes prominent local experts such as Marko Mitrović (EPAM), Viktor Nagy (EPAM), Dimitrije Jovanović (EPAM), Borivoje Kovač (Endava), and Siniša Andrić (Endava), with more leading professionals to be announced soon.
Phase 1: Foundations & Software Engineering for AI
The educational journey begins with the fundamentals of AI agent development and core software engineering practices: agent autonomy, planning and reasoning, a Python refresher, and collaborative version control with Git and GitHub. You will build robust RESTful services using Flask and FastAPI, integrate external APIs, and implement real-time streaming protocols for interactive chatbots.
Phase 2: Agentic Frameworks & Prompt Engineering
You will work with practical agentic frameworks and master prompt engineering. Using LangChain and LangGraph, you will construct moderately complex agents and manage tool calling, memory, and context engineering for multi-turn conversations. You will also design and evaluate prompts while integrating major LLM APIs such as OpenAI, Azure AI, and Anthropic.
Phase 3: RAG, Machine Learning & Multi-Agent Systems
The curriculum advances to Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), machine learning concepts, and multi-agent systems. You will work with Pinecone, Weaviate, and ChromaDB; compare standard and agentic RAG; integrate pre-trained machine learning models as tools; and establish protocols that allow multiple AI agents to collaborate on complex business and research tasks.
Phase 4: Deployment, Responsibility & Capstone
The final phase focuses on deployment, responsibility, and hands-on execution. You will deploy agents and RAG systems to AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform while managing resources and costs. Ethical considerations cover bias, privacy, security, guardrails, and fallback strategies. Everything culminates in a Capstone Project, peer review, and formal project defense.
Ready to build the future?
Apply for the SITA AI Engineering Bootcamp through the official application form.
