p-04

Forward
Deployed
Engineer

Make AI work inside a real company.

A forward deployed engineer (FDE) works with a customer's team and makes an AI product work on the customer's own data and systems. This program trains engineers for that job.

Apply now What you learn

program sheet

You become: Forward deployed engineer
Duration: 1 to 6 months, depending on the program.
Format: Online and classroom
You need first: Experience of building or training an AI system
Start dates: New batches through the year
Job support: 100% job enablement program

The role

Who is a forward deployed engineer?

A forward deployed engineer (FDE) works inside a customer's company and makes an AI product work there. The job joins three kinds of work.

fig. / the forward deployed engineer sits where three jobs meet

Pick a circle to see what the job takes from it.

Writes and tests the code.

A forward deployed engineer builds real software every week, like any software engineer.

Read the guide to the role

Who it is for

For engineers who like customer work.

This program fits three kinds of engineer. If you are not one of them, the list below shows a better place to start.

AI and ML engineers

You can build a model. You want to be the person who makes it work in a customer's business.

Software engineers

You like connecting systems and release day. You want AI to be one more thing you set up well.

Solutions and data people who code

You already work with customers. You want the engineering skill to build what you now only plan.

Start somewhere else if

You are new to coding.

Start with Reskilling

You have not built an app around an AI model yet.

See AI Engineering

You have not trained or tested a model yet.

See AI and Machine Learning

You lead a team and need the overview.

See Programs for managers

What you practice

Six things a demo never tests.

You practice each one on a practice customer first, then on a real one. Switch the view to compare.

Understanding the need

Turn an unclear request into a one-page plan the customer agrees to.

Someone else's systems

Read, run and extend systems you did not build and cannot rewrite.

Real data

Messy and incomplete data, with access rules. You work with what exists.

Security and rules

Security, privacy and compliance checks, passed calmly.

Proof that it works

Final tests agreed with the people who will use the system.

The handover

Documents, monitoring and an honest status report.

Final project

You finish with a real project.

At the end you work on a real problem from a partner company. You plan it, build it and hand it over. Their team decides whether it goes into use.

01
Plan
With the partner's team.
02
Build
On their data.
03
Deploy
Through their checks.
04
Hand over
With documents and monitoring.

Real-time projects

Projects you build yourself.

You build real-time projects: complete projects, made the way they are made at work. A working engineer checks each one.

Sample projectp-04

A final test the customer agrees to

Problem: Nobody agreed what done means, so the work never ends.
Tools: A one-page plan, test cases from real use, a sign-off
Skills: Understanding needs, testing, clear writing
What you build: A final test agreed with the people who will use the system
Result: A clear finish line that both sides accept

checked on: clarity, and whether the customer agrees

Sample projectp-04

An app set up inside a customer's systems

Problem: A working demo has to run where you have limited access.
Tools: The customer's cloud, their data, their release steps
Skills: Understanding needs, connecting systems, security checks
What you build: A running app and a handover document
Result: A final test agreed with a user

checked on: it runs, and the user accepts it

Labs

Labs are where you practice and build each week.

How we teach

SampleSample

Sample: proposed training details for review. Resources and completion rules are not confirmed yet.

Environment: Practice customer systems, with limited access and separate test releases.
Data: Synthetic customer data first. Real data needs written permission and agreed access rules.
Compute: Local practice services and optional cloud test systems. Cloud access is not confirmed.
Tools: Git, automated tests, service connections and monitoring that reports errors.

Mentors and support

Working engineers guide you.

Your mentors teach, check your work every week and help when you are stuck. After you join a job, technical support continues: a mentor keeps guiding you.

Mentors and technical support

Jobs and certificates

The job you train for.

This program prepares you for a job as a forward deployed engineer: the engineer who makes an AI product work at the customer. People reach this job from AI and ML engineering, from software engineering and from solutions and data roles.

01
Data scientist
Finds answers in data and helps the business decide.
02
Machine learning engineer
Trains AI models and tests how good they are.
03
AI engineer
Builds apps that use AI models and keeps them running.
04
Forward deployed engineer
Makes an AI product work inside a customer's company.

100% job enablement program

Resume help: We help you write a resume that shows your skills and your projects.
Mock interviews: You practice interview questions and get feedback before the real interview.
Referrals to hiring companies: We refer you to companies that are hiring for your role.

Certificates

You receive a Ticker Academy certificate when you complete a program.

The Forward Deployed Engineer program also prepares you for certification exams such as Claude Certified Architect.

Each exam is run by the company that owns it. That company sets the rules for who can register, so check its current rules before you plan for an exam.

Sample

Proposed completion checks: finish the required labs, show a working final project, fix review feedback and explain your work.

Proposed additional exam areas: cloud AI, data engineering and machine learning. No additional exam or preparation commitment is confirmed.

See all five pathways

A question first?

Ask before you apply.

Write to us about this program. We reply by email and call only if you ask us to.

How to apply

Apply for Forward Deployed Engineer.

About this program

An engineer who works with a customer, inside the customer's systems, until an AI product does real work there.

Yes. You should have trained a model, or built an app around one. If you have not, take AI Engineering or AI and Machine Learning first.

Often, yes. The work happens where the customer is, in person or online, and follows the customer's hours and deadlines. It suits people who like variety.

New batches start through the year. Apply and we send you the next start date for this program.

Yes. It prepares you for certification exams such as Claude Certified Architect. Each exam is run by the company that owns it. That company sets the rules for who can register, so check its current rules before you plan for an exam.

All questions and answers

Start dates: New batches start through the year. You get the next date when you apply.
Format: Online and classroom
Duration: 1 to 6 months, depending on the program.
Program details: We send you the full program details when you apply.

Start your application

Three short steps. We reply by email and call only if you ask us to.