Centizen Academy: AI-Native Software Engineering Program
Production-Ready AI Engineers,Not Prompt Operators
Centizen Academy trains engineers who can build, verify, and operate AI-augmented production systems, not just prompt an AI to generate code. Built and run inside Centizen, a US-based software company in Tirunelveli.
32 weeks: 24 weeks of core training, 8 weeks of residency
Built inside Centizen, the company behind ZenBasket and live client engineering work
In person, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, starting January 2027
25 seats, by design
This is not a bootcamp. It is AI engineering training inside a real company.
Many AI courses stay on practice problems. Centizen is a software company first, the one behind ZenBasket and our ongoing client work, and we opened our own floor to train engineers.
The first 24 weeks build the foundation: software engineering, backend, frontend, AI-native engineering, cloud and DevOps, a capstone, and the judgment to use AI tools well instead of depending on them blindly. The last 8 weeks are a residency. Students will begin with Academy-controlled projects and progressively take on more complex engineering assignments. Depending on their demonstrated skills, performance and project requirements, selected students may receive supervised exposure to Centizen, ZenBasket, Zenyo or approved client-related engineering work.
You leave with a deployed capstone, a Git history you can show, and a residency record an employer can check.
32 weeks. One complete path to AI engineering.
AI is part of the program from week one, not a module added at the end.
24 weeks of core training
8 weeks of residency
The curriculum page shows how each phase prepares you for AI jobs.
Professional Git workflows, Java idioms and design patterns, algorithmic complexity, production-grade SQL/PostgreSQL, concurrency, testing, and debugging.
Spring Boot, REST APIs, authorization, testing, Docker, and backend AI-code verification.
React, TypeScript, state management, API integration, UI fundamentals, and frontend verification.
Applied Python, AI tools, prompting-to-architecture workflows, RAG and LLM foundations, and AI verification.
AWS, deployment, IAM, CI/CD, monitoring, security scanning, and incident response.
Requirements, architecture, team delivery, deployment, and defense.
Supervised engineering work with staged access based on readiness and approval.
AI verification checkpoints
At each checkpoint you explain, verify and defend the work AI helped you build.
See the Curriculum- Week 6Compare your work with and without AI, and verify the result (end of Software Engineering Core)
- Week 10Review AI-generated backend code and correct its mistakes
- Week 14Explain and defend every AI-assisted change in your frontend code
- Week 18Oral defense of how you verified your AI-assisted work
- Weeks 21 to 24A record of where and how you used AI, submitted with your capstone
- Weeks 25 to 32Verification of your AI use in real engineering work, assessed during the residency
A foundation for AI engineering careers
The program is a route into AI engineering roles. You start with software engineering, move to AI-native engineering, then complete a supervised residency at Centizen.
AI Engineer
Builds software features powered by large language models: APIs, retrieval, evaluation and deployment.
How the program prepares you: Backend Core, AI-Native Engineering (RAG and LLM foundations) and Cloud and DevOps.
Forward Deployed Engineer
Works with a customer to fit a product or AI system to their real problem, then builds, deploys and supports it.
How the program prepares you: Full-stack engineering, deployment skills, client-facing communication and a supervised residency at Centizen.
Applied AI Engineer
Adds AI to existing business workflows and products, and checks that the results are reliable.
How the program prepares you: AI verification checkpoints, testing and security habits taught across the program.
Generative AI Engineer
Builds applications on top of language models, from prompts to production services.
How the program prepares you: Applied Python, prompting-to-architecture workflows and AI-native engineering.
We do not promise a role or a job. Hiring depends on employer decisions and your own performance.
Who's behind this
You are taught by working developers from Centizen, the people who build enterprise products in core banking, fintech and ecommerce. They deliver production software every day, and they teach what they do.
- 2003Founded
- 22+Years of expertise
- 800+Engagements delivered
- 400+Companies trust Centizen
Where you will learn
The Academy runs from Centizen's own floor at ZenoVus Tech Park, Tirunelveli, the same place the engineering work happens.See ZenoVus Tech Park on Google Maps (opens in a new tab).
For parents: what this means for your child
We know you are looking at this as closely as your child is. Here is what matters most.
Safety and stay
Centizen Academy will provide guidance and assistance to students relocating to Tirunelveli. Students will be responsible for their accommodation and related living expenses. Details of recommended accommodation options will be shared with selected students.
Structure
Five days a week, defined hours, attendance tracked, with regular progress updates.
After the program
A supervised residency at Centizen, a capstone defense, and support connecting with employers. We are not promising a guaranteed job, and we will not claim one.
Full detail is in the FAQ, written for exactly the questions parents and applicants ask us directly.
One price
Exclusive price
Rs 1,50,000inclusive of GST
for the full 32-week program
Applications close 5 December 2026.
How this compares
| Self-study | Typical bootcamp | Centizen Academy | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Structure | None, self-paced | Fixed curriculum | Fixed curriculum, AI-native from week one |
| Work inside a real company | No | Often simulated projects | 8-week supervised residency at Centizen |
| Instructors | Recorded content | Varies by provider | Active Centizen engineers |
| Cost | Free to low | Varies by provider | Rs 1,50,000 (inclusive of GST) |
How admissions works
Who can apply? Degree holders, Diploma holders, freshers, and experienced professionals who want to shift to an IT job and become AI-ready.
Step 1: Coding test, no AI assistance
Shows us your real fundamentals.
Step 2: AI-assisted code review
Shows us how you think with AI tools, not just whether you can use them.
Step 3: Oral defense
A real conversation about your work with our team.
Applications close 5 December 2026. The program begins January 2027 in Tirunelveli.
Questions we get asked directly
See the full FAQ for complete answers.
Not exactly. Centizen Academy is designed as an engineering-focused apprenticeship and residency program. The emphasis is not simply on completing classes, but on demonstrating practical software engineering skills through projects, reviews, assessments and supervised engineering work.
The fee is Rs 1,50,000 (inclusive of GST) for the full 32-week program.
No. Qualified graduates may be considered for roles at Centizen, ZenBasket, Zenyo, or partner employers, and the Academy supports introductions, but hiring still depends on employer decisions and your own performance.
No. The residency is a supervised learning and engineering experience, not unpaid employment. Students are assigned work appropriate to their demonstrated skill level, receive mentoring and code reviews, and are evaluated on their engineering development.
Applications are open for AI-Native Software Engineering
25 seats. Starting January 2027 in Tirunelveli.
Rs 1,50,000(inclusive of GST), Exclusive price