NJIT, 1st Street launch generative AI certification

The basics:

• NJIT, Essex County-based 1st Street Partnerships launch 4-week virtual, generative AI certification program
• Participants learn tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Midjourney, ElevenLabs across text, image, data, audio applications
• Course includes capstone project; awards NJIT-verified Generative AI Microcredential upon completion
• First cohort begins March 16, capped at 20 participants, with tuition of $2,000

Essex County-based 1st Street Partnerships is teaming up with the New Jersey Institute of Technology. The partners recently announced they will offer a new certification program in artificial intelligence to working professionals and entrepreneurs.

NJIT will launch the four-week virtual program through its Learning and Development Initiative. During the course, participants will train on how to integrate generative AI into their work through applied human judgment.

Throughout the 20-hour course, 1st Street Partnerships will show students how to work directly with ChatGPT, Gemini, Midjourney and ElevenLabs across text, image, data and audio applications. The program will conclude with a capstone project that addresses a real challenge within each participant’s field, according to NJIT. Upon completion, students will receive an NJIT-verified Generative AI Microcredential.

Founded in 2023 by brothers Monk and Ifiok Inyang, 1st Street Partnerships provides AI training to students, entrepreneurs and working professionals.

Using its signature “Anchored Intelligence” framework, the organization aims to emphasize human judgment and professional expertise as the foundation for developing AI-related skills.

In addition to teaching and coaching on how to effectively use AI, 1st Street Partnerships collaborates with academic institutions, governments, organizations and companies. Just a few of its partnerships include Morgan State University in Baltimore, Harlem Fashion Row and a luxury premium tequila brand founded by actor-comedian Kevin Hart.

Common ground for collaboration

This marks the second time 1st Street Partnerships has worked with NJIT in Newark. In fall 2024, the company helped develop a self-guided AI literacy course for the school’s Learning Development Initiative. The class is available online for $20 per student.

Monk Inyang told NJBIZ, “It has been a rewarding partnership to watch grow. The team at LDI … has been supportive of our work from the very beginning. We share a strong alignment in our philosophy around human-centered AI training, and that common ground has been the foundation of our collaboration.”

We are at a moment where AI is reshaping the workforce from two directions … In both cases, AI literacy is a foundational skill required to compete.
— Monk Inyang, CEO, 1st Street Partnerships

“The concept behind the generative AI practitioner micro-credentials is something we began discussing just a few months after first connecting, so this has been over a year in the making. To see it come to life, and to have organizations already looking to enroll their employees in the first cohort, speaks to the real demand for this kind of training,” the CEO said.

“We are at a moment where AI is reshaping the workforce from two directions. Companies are embedding AI into everyday workflows and expecting fluency from their teams. At the same time, we are living through a layoff generation, with many professionals navigating transitions and exploring entrepreneurship. In both cases, AI literacy is a foundational skill required to compete,” he said.

Calling all professionals

According to Monk Inyang, the program targets “working professionals who want to use AI tools in a way that builds on the expertise and experience they have already developed, regardless of industry.”

“The curriculum is grounded in concepts that apply broadly, helping employees work more efficiently and giving small business owners a competitive edge. No technical background is required. What matters most is a willingness to engage with the material and an openness to applying it within their own professional context,” he went on.

NJIT Associate Provost for Continued Learning Michael Edmondson agreed. He said the program’s “structured, instructor-led AI training gives individuals immediate, applied experience with the tools shaping today’s workforce.”

Enrollment is now open for the first cohort, beginning March 16. According to NJIT, the program is capped at 20 participants. Additionally, three schedule options can accommodate working professionals, the school noted.

Tuition is $2,000 and includes all instruction, materials and the credential.

NJIT noted that group pricing is available for organizations enrolling three or more participants. Click here for more information.