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Forward Deployed Engineer

The new agents of change in the AI age.

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outcomes

Build faster. Build better. Build together.

Engineering teams everywhere have access to AI code assistants. The difference is how they're used.

Build a shared AI playbook

Turn individual wins into team-wide practice.

Steer AI more effectively

Guide AI assistants towards smarter, more reliable code completions.

Improve quality at speed

Increase test coverage and reduce manual effort.

Build modern engineering workflows

Embed Spec-Driven Development and AI-assisted delivery practices.

Ship with confidence

Use AI to accelerate delivery without compromising standards.

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Our results

Excellence Without Exception

Excellence isn’t just a goal - it’s a non-negotiable standard at Makers. Regarded as the leading provider of tech education for over a decade, we’ve developed solutions that deliver unmatched results to some of the world’s most respected companies. Our proven track record ensures your workforce transformation is in the best hands.

Explore case studies
90%

Learner satisfaction rate

85%

Reported confidence with AI 

15h+

Saved per person per week

Outcome

What will you learn?

We don't just teach tools - we build confidence, shift perspectives, and lay the foundation for a more adaptive, AI-ready workforce.

  1. Master AI fundamentals

    Prompt engineering, custom GPTs and AI agents to support research, analysis and content creation.

  2. Apply AI to your own work

    Automate time-consuming tasks and free yourself for more enriching, high-impact work.

  3. Drive responsible AI adoption

    Understand the ethics and risks of AI, and champion its responsible use across your organisation.

  4. Build skills to get ahead

    Develop a "learning toolkit" for long-term adaptability - so you're ready to lead as AI becomes the norm.

90

Learner satisfaction rate

85

Reported confidence with AI 

15h+

Saved per person per week

96%

Alumni say Makers transformed their lives

WHY FORWARD DEPLOYED ENGINEER?

Scarce talent. High demand.

Forward Deployed Engineers are where Software Engineers were in the early 2000s.

Stop fighting over the same small pool of experienced talent. Build the pipeline. Build a high quality, sustainable, loyal talent pool.

2x

Makers alumni progress twice as fast as graduate peers.

70%

of Makers engineers are retained beyond 5 years.

88%

of Makers engineers are promoted within 12 months.

The Makers model

Our model is simple.

1. We find collaborative people with high levels of grit and Learning Quotient.

2. We build their problem-solving, people and technical (engineering and AI) skills.

3. We focus on career switchers. Why? They aren't telling they are good at learning, they are showing us

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The Makers Model

Our model is simple:

1

We find collaborative people with high levels of grit and Learning Quotient.

2

We build their problem-solving, people and technical (engineering and AI) skills.

3

We focus on career switchers. Why? They aren't telling us they are good at learning, they are showing us.

THE MAKERS MODEL

Our model is simple.

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Find the right people

Find collaborative people with high levels of grit and Learning Quotient.

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Build the right skills

Build their problem-solving, people and technical (engineering and AI) skills.

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Focus on career switchers

Why? They aren't telling they are good at learning, they are showing us.

WHY FORWARD DEPLOYED ENGINEER?

The new world of the FDE

FDE is emerging as one of the breakout engineering roles of the AI era.

800%

increase in job postings for Forward Deployed Engineers in 2025.

Source: Financial Times

$7bn

spent by leading tech firms (AWS, OpenAI, Microsoft) to embed FDEs into client environments.

Source: CBNC, Dealroom (2026)

100+

companies have adopted the FDE role including OpenAI, Google, AWS and Salesforce.

Scarce talent, high demand.

Forward Deployed Engineers are like Software Engineers were in the 2000s: scarce talent, high demand.

At Makers, this is why we built our renowned software engineering bootcamp and recruit-train-deploy accelerator.

We knew these skills could be built, if we recruited learners with strong Learning Quotient (LQ).

We knew that people with strong LQ were better learners on-the-job. And they progressed twice as fast.

We knew that if you change someone’s life, they remain loyal - nearly no-one leaves.

 

 

Makers approach

A new in-demand skillset

Forward Deployed Engineers partner with clients to build and deploy AI systems into their businesses, reimagining business processes and making AI a core part of how those clients operate and innovate. 

FDEs are in high demand because they need a unique combination of skills and attributes to succeed:

Skills

  • Problem-solving skills - to identify the key business opportunities that AI can impact and stay focused on the outcome.

  • People skills - to collaborate with a range of client stakeholders and transform how the business works.

  • Technical skills (Engineering and AI) - to build and deploy effective, scalable and secure solutions.

Attributes

  • Learning Quotient - to learn and adapt, knowing AI is not going to stand still and every client will bring different contexts and challenges.

  • Grit - to ensure every deployment is successful when no client journey will be either simple or repeatable.

Makers FDE Accelerator programme

Learning outcomes

Identify

Identify where AI will create the most impact within complex business environments.

Collaborate

Collaborate with clients, helping them put AI at the heart of how they operate and innovate.

Connect

Connect messy data across fragmented systems to ensure AI has reliable data and context.

Build

Build and deploy tailored AI solutions, leading the technical implementation end-to-end.

Scale

Scale AI with guardrails to ensure accuracy, security, and compliance.

Professional working at computer screen with headphones.

Outcome

What will I learn?

We don’t just teach tools - we build confidence, shift perspectives, and lay the foundation for a more adaptive, AI-ready workforce.

generic-landscape-2600x1733px-35

  • Master AI fundamentals

    like prompt engineering, building custom GPTs and working with AI agents to support daily tasks like research, analysis and content creation.

  • Apply AI to your own work

    automating the time-consuming tasks and freeing yourself up for more enriching, complex work.

  • Drive responsible AI adoption

    by understanding the ethics and risks of AI, so you can promote its responsible use throughout your organisation.

  • Build the skills to get ahead

    and develop a “learning toolkit” for long-term adaptability. As AI becomes the norm, you’ll be ready to stand out and lead the change.

    At a glance

    For problem solvers ready to build with AI.

    Duration:

    16-week intensive bootcamp followed by a 12-month client placement.

    Format:

    Recruit-Train-Deploy. Makers recruits and trains candidates via our renowned bootcamp, and deploys them into your team with ongoing support.

    Designed for:

    High-potential career switchers. Natural problem solvers with a technical aptitude ready to transition into a FDE role.

    Price:

    On request

    Delivery:

    Hybrid/remote bootcamp and placement.

    Download brochure
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    SOFTWARE ENGINEERING TODAY

    The developer is no longer the typist

    The developer is the architect - and increasingly, the organisation designer. AI is the executor.

    AI is changing what software engineers spend their time doing. Less time writing every line of code. More time designing how software is built, reviewed and improved. This is the shift towards harness engineering.

     

    Apply now
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    What they'll learn

    Course Structure

    Engineering

    Learners will master software engineering fundamentals, able to build, manage and deploy code across the full software lifecycle.

    Agentic AI

    Your Forward Deployed Engineers will learn to apply core AI engineering principles, architect agentic systems, and implement robust traceability and evaluation.

    Forward Deployment

    Learners develop key skills to consult and uncover problems, build trust as a reliable advisor, and frame AI risks and solutions as jargon-free narratives for execs.

    How the programme works

    The Makers Accelerator

    Our Forward Deployed Engineer Accelerator is a fast-track hiring programme that lets you build your own pipeline of motivated, loyal FDE talent.

    1

    Recruit

    8-12 weeks

    We design a recruitment campaign with you to suit your requirements, and provide a shortlist of collaborative people with high levels of grit and Learning Quotient.

    2

    Train

    12-16 weeks

    We design a bespoke bootcamp around your tech stack and skills needs. Replicating the engineering work environment, we build learners' problem-solving, people and technical (AI and engineering) skills.

    3

    Deploy

    12 months

    FDEs join your teams on a 12-month contract, ready to hit the ground running. Ongoing Makers coaching supports them on placement and helps them progress quickly.

    Learning format

    Every session is built around your team's real work. Apply new techniques in your actual projects the same week you learn them.

    Half-day sessions

    A new topic introduced each week in a focused half-day.

    Apply in context

    Self-led practice in the reality of your role during the week.

    Two-day intensive

    A Spec-Driven Development deep-dive followed by a mini hackathon.

    Team reflection

    Review what worked, consolidate the shared playbook, and agree how to keep improving as a team.

    Makers Approach

    Designed for your team, not a generic cohort

    Closed cohort

    Every session uses your codebase, your architecture, your standards. There's no off-the-shelf version of this programme - it's scoped and tailored before day one.

    Practice-first

    Learn by doing

    Engineers learn by applying new techniques to real work, not completing exercises. The week between sessions is where the actual learning happens - and peer review cements it.

    The playbook stays with your team

    Built to last

    By the end, your team has a shared set of principles, practices and standards that belong to them - not a training programme they attended and then filed away.

    Meet the AI team

    • stefan_headshot
      Stefan Bauer

      Stefan is a senior technology leader with experience across Amazon AWS, Bloomberg, and high-growth technology companies. He has led AI and data teams tackling complex business challenges at scale.

      At Makers, he helps leaders understand the AI opportunity and navigate the transition with confidence.

       

      AI Coach
    • Neil_Studd_Headshot
      Neil Studd

      Neil has spent more than twenty years helping organisations build and deliver high-quality technology products.

      Since joining Makers in 2022, he has led curriculum development across Quality Engineering, Leadership and AI programmes.

      A long-time advocate for AI education, Neil helped introduce foundational AI learning across Makers programmes.

      AI Coach
    • Allen Sanchez Makers AI Headshot
      Allen Sanchez

      Allen has spent more than a decade helping teams build practical technology skills across software engineering, data, business transformation and AI.

      He’s worked with organisations across the UK, Europe and Asia Pacific - helping teams adopt new technologies and rethink how work gets done.

      Head of AI Coaching
    • Josue_headshot
      Josué Estévez Fernández

      Josué is a Makers graduate who went on to spend several years as a full-stack software engineer, before returning to Makers, this time to help shape how the next generation learns.

      Josué leads the curriculum team and is driving Makers' AI-first approach to curriculum design, rethinking how learning experiences are built for a world growingly shaped by AI.

       

      Head of AI Curriculum
    • stefan_headshot
    • Neil_Studd_Headshot
    • Allen Sanchez Makers AI Headshot
    • Josue_headshot

    At a Glance

    Overview

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    why makers

    Market-leading results

     

    Makers-Logo_Icon-Black-1  Fanatical about quality

    We consistently top the leaderboard for apprenticeship results and achievement rate. 

    Makers-Logo_Icon-Black-1  Committed to inclusivity

    We're addressing lower AI adoption among women - our 2024 learner profile was 46% diverse ethnicities and 40% women.

    Makers-Logo_Icon-Black-1  Expert and proprietary

    Our curriculum is built in-house and delivered by industry specialists.

     

    80%

    of Makers apprentices achieved merits or distinctions in 2024.

    96%

    of Makers Alumni said we transformed their life.

    84%

    Apprenticeship achievement (completion) rate vs the industry average of 59%.

    ABOUT THE COURSE

    Curriculum

    Tooling:

    We can apply our curriculum to a range of AI tooling including Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, Claude (Anthropic), ChatGPT (OpenAI). Our most popular tools:

    Microsoft Copilot: Teams will need
    Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses with access to Copilot Studio.

    Google Gemini: Teams will need Google
    Gemini Pro with access to Google Workspace Studio.

    TBC

    TBC

    TBC

    TBC

    The makers approach

    Coaches and Curriculum

    Aligned to business outcomes

    Our coaches aren’t just great educators - they’ve led teams in top tech environments. We tailor training to your organisation’s goals, using real-world case studies, role-specific development and delivery formats shaped around your teams. It’s training designed to work where it matters: inside your business.

    Beyond skills

    Adaptability for the AI age

    Technical skills evolve rapidly - even faster in an AI-driven economy. At Makers, we embed Learning Quotient (LQ) – the ability to learn, unlearn, and relearn – into everything we do. As roles shift, tools evolve, and job scopes blur, our learners stay sharp by building the one skill that never expires: the capacity to adapt and apply new knowledge.

    Our support

    Doesn’t stop at training

    Our programmes are tough by design - self-led, immersive, and focused on real-world problem
    solving. But no one goes it alone. From expert
    coaches to career specialists to industry assessors, we invest more in support because we expect more from our learners.

    Are you ready to build your team of Forward Deployed Engineers?

    Talk to Makers
    Man smiling at a laptop in a modern office.