By Steve Sears
In an era defined by the rapid acceleration of artificial intelligence, the divide between technological advancement and workforce readiness remains a critical challenge. Addressing this gap with a specific focus on gender equity, Princeton-based nonprofit SheTek has officially announced a strategic partnership with the Rutgers School of Business–Camden. This collaboration aims to provide students—particularly women—with the technical acumen, leadership skills, and mentorship necessary to thrive in an increasingly competitive digital landscape.
The inaugural project of this alliance is the five-week "AI Essentials Bootcamp," a comprehensive training program set to launch shortly after the Labor Day holiday. By merging the academic rigor of a premier business school with the industry-driven mentorship model of a tech-focused nonprofit, the partnership seeks to reshape how students enter the modern workforce.
The Genesis of a Strategic Partnership
The seeds for this collaboration were sown earlier this spring during a high-profile panel discussion on the transformative impact of artificial intelligence. Among the panelists was Monica Adya, dean of the Rutgers School of Business–Camden. Her participation in the event brought her into direct contact with Chaya Pamula, the founder of SheTek and a veteran of the IT services industry as the CEO and co-founder of Princeton-based PamTen.
Both leaders quickly recognized an alignment of professional philosophies. For Adya, the mission of the Rutgers School of Business–Camden has long been rooted in accessible, inclusive, and forward-thinking education. For Pamula, SheTek—founded in 2021 as an educational extension of the 17-year-old IT firm PamTen—was designed specifically to dismantle the barriers that have historically kept women from advancing in technical roles.
"Both Chaya and I come from tech backgrounds," Adya noted. "Both of us have been very passionate about women’s participation in tech careers, and that is really where a common bond started. Since then, as we have continued to grow some of our engagement, the alignment of our missions is very, very important."
Program Structure: A Holistic Approach to Tech Education
The AI Essentials Bootcamp is not merely a technical course; it is a holistic career-readiness program. According to official press materials, the curriculum is designed to move beyond the superficial application of software, diving deep into the complexities of the modern AI ecosystem.
Core Curriculum Components
- Generative AI Proficiency: Students will learn the mechanics of Generative AI tools, with a heavy emphasis on responsible usage and prompt engineering—the art of extracting high-value outputs from AI systems.
- Professional Development: Recognizing that technical skill is insufficient without soft-skill mastery, the program integrates mandatory coursework in leadership, communication, and presentation techniques.
- Mentorship and Career Services: Each participant is paired with an experienced industry mentor. Furthermore, the program includes rigorous resume reviews and mock interview sessions designed to simulate real-world hiring environments.
- Accreditation: Upon completion, students earn a dual credential: the industry-standard Google AI Essentials Certification and a certificate of completion from the joint SheTek/Rutgers School of Business–Camden program.
The program combines weekly live instruction sessions with flexible online coursework, ensuring that students can balance their educational commitments with other responsibilities.
Bridging Academia and Industry
The partnership between SheTek and Rutgers is a deliberate attempt to solve the "last mile" problem in education—the gap between graduating from a degree program and being truly "job-ready."
Pamula emphasizes that the strength of the program lies in the synthesis of two distinct worlds. "Monica is probably the first one who has taken that leap for this kind of partnership," Pamula said. "This is going to be a true partnership because you are talking academia, and then you are talking about industrial experience. We are bringing it together and complementing it through mentorship."
By creating a community of practice, the program aims to bolster the confidence of participants. In many technical fields, women report a lack of support networks as a primary reason for leaving the industry early. By providing a sustained mentorship pipeline, SheTek and Rutgers are attempting to provide the social capital that is often missing in traditional degree paths.
Supporting Data and Financial Backing
The demand for this type of specialized training is immense. Within weeks of the program’s announcement, over 50 students applied for the initial cohort. While the program is specifically geared toward empowering women, it is open to all students at Rutgers, as well as students across the region, reflecting the partners’ commitment to broad-based accessibility.
The sustainability of the program is bolstered by a significant philanthropic contribution. Metropolitan Commercial Bank (New York) has stepped in to sponsor the tuition fees for all eligible students, removing the financial barrier that often prevents talented individuals from seeking high-level professional certifications.
Mark R. DeFazio, president and CEO of Metropolitan Commercial Bank, highlighted the corporate responsibility aspect of the donation: "Metropolitan Commercial Bank is proud to support SheTek’s programs that increase women’s participation in technology-related industries. We are particularly grateful to SheTek’s board members, Chaya Pamula and Maria Ramirez. Through their efforts, they have created mentorships, partnerships, and job opportunities for women."
Future Implications: Scaling the Model
The AI Essentials Bootcamp is intended to be the first of many offerings. Both Adya and Pamula have articulated a vision for a long-term, stable pipeline of courses that adapt to the changing needs of the economy. Future modules are already being discussed, with potential curricula focusing on:
- Data Analytics: Navigating the lifecycle of big data and business intelligence.
- Cybersecurity: Addressing the critical shortage of professionals in network defense.
- Project Management: Applying Agile and Scrum methodologies to complex tech deployments.
For the Rutgers School of Business–Camden, this represents a shift toward a more agile, industry-aligned model of education. Adya describes the current phase as a "building" period, with the goal of creating a stable foundation before scaling the partnership to address other high-growth sectors.
"We first build up this partnership to a place where it is quite stable, and then start opening up to other areas," Adya explained.
Addressing the Underrepresentation of Women in Tech
The underlying motivation for this partnership is a sobering reality: women remain consistently underrepresented in the technology sector, particularly in high-level AI and engineering roles. This disparity is not merely a social issue but an economic one, as it limits the talent pool available to companies navigating the digital transition.
"Women have been underrepresented in tech careers for a long time," Adya noted. "I think that a meeting of the minds, meeting of the missions, has really come together well. And this is just the beginning."
The "job readiness" focus is key to this mission. Pamula notes that the goal is not just to teach, but to place. "We want to be able to find the sources, and also be able to give them the training and the tools they need, and then have relationships with corporate, so we can place them."
By fostering relationships with industry partners, SheTek aims to act as a bridge, ensuring that the women who graduate from the program have a direct line to recruiters and hiring managers who value their unique skill sets.
Conclusion: A New Standard for Collaboration
The partnership between SheTek and the Rutgers School of Business–Camden represents a growing trend in higher education: the move toward hyper-specialized, industry-integrated training that prioritizes long-term career outcomes over simple credit accumulation.
As the AI revolution continues to reshape the global economy, initiatives like the AI Essentials Bootcamp serve as a blueprint for how academic institutions and nonprofit organizations can join forces to democratize access to high-value skills. By combining the intellectual resources of Rutgers with the professional network and mentorship ethos of SheTek, the initiative is poised to provide a significant boost to women looking to break into the tech industry.
With the first cohort preparing to start their coursework, all eyes are on the results. If the program succeeds in producing a steady stream of job-ready, AI-literate graduates, it may very well set a new standard for how universities and the private sector collaborate to foster a more diverse and capable workforce for the 21st century.
