Anthropic said on October 2, 2026 that it is launching Claude Frontier Academy, a training program backed by a $100 million commitment that aims to certify 10,000 "Frontier Deployed Engineers" (FDEs) by the end of 2027. Engineers from Accenture, Bain, Capgemini, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Deloitte, McKinsey, Morgan Stanley and Novo Nordisk are in the first cohorts, the company said.
What Anthropic announced
Anthropic described the Academy as the first of its kind from an AI company, built from its own work deploying Claude inside large enterprises and the professional services organizations that serve them.
The company framed the effort as a response to a talent shortage in enterprise AI implementation, saying that inside the companies it works with, a small group of deeply skilled people drives an outsized share of what AI delivers.
"No AI company has invested in developing that talent inside its customers and partners at this depth," said Steve Corfield, Global Head of Business Development and Partnerships at Anthropic, who added that the Academy "trains people the way our own engineers learn."
How the residency works
The first program, the Frontier Deployed Engineer Residency, follows what Anthropic calls the medical model for building expertise: engineers learn from practitioners, practice on realistic cases, and are assessed on their work before they earn the credential.
According to Anthropic, engineers begin with a multi-day in-person program run with Anthropic engineers and licensed instructors, working through a simulated enterprise deployment from use-case selection through security review to handover, and finishing with a graded practical on a new scenario. Those who pass earn the Claude Resident Engineer badge.
Graduates then move into a 12-week residency leading a real Claude use case at their own organization, supported by Anthropic engineers. A second assessment at the end determines who earns the Claude Frontier Deployed Engineer badge, with the first expected in early 2027.
Who can take part
Anthropic said the program targets hands-on software engineers with strong fundamentals, a record of building with large language models, experience helping others adopt AI, and a habit of tackling their business's most important problems. Prior experience building AI agents is not required.
Organizations nominate their strongest engineers, each arriving with a named Claude project to lead on return. Participation is by nomination, and Anthropic said organizations can ask their account team or Partner Account Manager whether they are eligible.
Cohorts are currently running in San Francisco, New York and London, with the program growing toward 10,000 engineers by the end of 2027.
Building on the Claude Partner Network
Anthropic said the Academy builds on its Claude Partner Network, where it says professionals across 46,000 firms have earned more than 175,000 Claude certifications.
Nearly 4,000 people have completed Basecamp, which Anthropic describes as an immersive program teaching the same curriculum its Applied AI teams receive when they onboard.
Partner executives quoted in the announcement described their own expectations. One said their engineers' teams "have produced up to 3x more code changes in the past year," while another said Novo is using Claude Science in R&D workflows and Anthropic models in software development. These are the partners' characterizations, not independently verified results.
What to do
- If your organization works with Anthropic, ask your Anthropic account team or Partner Account Manager whether you are eligible for the Frontier Deployed Engineer Residency, since participation is by nomination.
- Nominating organizations should prepare a named Claude project for each engineer to lead on their return, as Anthropic says each participant arrives with one.
- Candidates should expect to be hands-on software engineers with strong fundamentals and a record of building with LLMs; Anthropic says prior experience building AI agents is not required.
Key facts and where they come from
- Anthropic is backing the Academy with a $100 million commitment and targeting 10,000 engineers by the end of 2027.
Backed by a $100 million commitment, Anthropic aims to train 10,000 Frontier Deployed Engineers (FDEs) by the end of 2027.
- First cohorts include engineers from eight named firms.
Engineers from Accenture, Bain, Capgemini, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Deloitte, McKinsey, Morgan Stanley and Novo Nordisk are in the first cohorts.
- The residency lasts 12 weeks after an in-person program and graded practical.
Those who pass earn the Claude Resident Engineer badge and move into the 12-week residency, where they lead a real Claude use case at their own organization
- First Frontier Deployed Engineer badges are expected in early 2027.
those who pass earn the Claude Frontier Deployed Engineer badge, with the first expected in early 2027
- Cohorts are running in three cities.
Cohorts are running in San Francisco, New York and London.
- Participation requires a nomination.
Participation is by nomination; organizations can ask their Anthropic account team or Partner Account Manager whether they’re eligible.
- Anthropic cites existing Partner Network scale.
professionals across 46,000 firms have earned more than 175,000 Claude certifications and nearly 4,000 people have completed Basecamp
- Prior agent-building experience is not a prerequisite.
Prior experience building AI agents isn’t required.