As employers increasingly seek AI-ready talent, Outamation, an AI-native mortgage operations technology company, and Extern, a platform connecting students with real-world work experience, have reported that 4,046 students gained hands-on experience building artificial intelligence tools through two externship programs. The initiative, designed to close the gap between learning about AI and applying it on the job, allowed students to work with sample mortgage documents, build working tools, and deliver findings directly to Outamation, mirroring professional technology team workflows.
The programs were co-designed by Outamation and Extern. Outamation’s mortgage domain experts and AI engineers created the curriculum, with Nirmal Patel, Chief AI Officer, leading program design and support from Devang Kamdar, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer. Mike Eng, Head of Partnerships, led the effort for Extern. The externships offered two levels: a seven-week Foundational program introducing AI, natural language processing, and computer vision, and a five-week Advanced program where students fine-tuned their own AI models and built multi-step AI agents to automate document workflows.
Students tackled real business problems by training AI to recognize common mortgage document types and writing Python code to extract key information automatically. They built AI systems that answer questions about documents and tested open-source AI models, skills applicable across finance, real estate, and other industries. Participants compared AI models on accuracy, cost, and ease of use, with Advanced participants presenting recommendations to Outamation stakeholders. The programs drew students from 934 schools and 59 countries, ensuring open access regardless of location or background.
“Every student today will build a career alongside AI. The question is whether they learn it by doing real work or by watching from the sidelines,” said Lisa Guadagno, Chief People Officer of Outamation. “4,046 students chose to do the work. Our job as employers is to give the next generation the tools and the opportunity to succeed.” Sapan Bafna, Founder & CEO of Outamation, added, “AI skills on their own are not enough. Students learn the most when they solve real business problems with people who know the industry and people who know the technology. Our mortgage experts and AI engineers designed this curriculum together. Students learned to use AI the way it is used on the job.”
Matt Wilkerson, CEO at Extern, highlighted the mutual benefit: “Most companies stay out of this because they picture a program they would have to build and staff. Taking that burden on is what Extern is for. Outamation handed students a real problem and got independent evaluations of the AI tools their own team is weighing in return. Having to make a recommendation and defend it to the people who will act on it is the part no course can simulate.”
The collaboration demonstrates a scalable approach to workforce development, with implications for Texas and beyond. As AI continues to transform industries, such partnerships can help build a pipeline of skilled talent. Outamation and Extern plan to launch a new program designed to evolve with AI advances. Students interested in future opportunities can visit www.extern.com, and more information about Outamation is available at outamation.com.
