A Women’s Tech Academy for your next chapter.
Centered on women. Open to everyone. Build your tech confidence, strengthen your résumé, and bring practical AI skills to work.
In 10 weeks, build a tested, carefully checked AI workflow from the work you already do, and demonstrate it to an employer or client. Online lessons on your schedule plus one live online lab each week. No coding. No prior AI experience.
- Program weeks beginNovember 2, 2026
- Founding tuition$1,495
- Cohort sizeUp to 12 learners
Checkout availability is confirmed on the payment page. Use Enroll & Pay to review tuition, or send an inquiry below. No payment is taken by this form.
Program at a glance
First cohort begins the week of November 2, 2026. Final teaching week: January 25, 2027. Holiday breaks are included; see the curriculum dates below. Wednesday practice labs, 1:00–2:30 p.m. PST (UTC−8), during each of the ten teaching weeks.
Why a women-focused cohort
Built around women’s careers. A welcoming place for anyone to learn.
Whether you are advancing in your current role, changing careers, returning to work or building a business, your experience belongs here. Sagewell centers women’s growth through practical AI and technology skills, small cohorts of 12, a steady pace and personal feedback. Anyone who meets the course requirements is welcome; no coding or prior AI experience is needed.
Taught by Denise Welch, teacher, 1992 business founder and AI consultant.
Who it's for
You already know how business works. We'll show you how AI fits into it.
Office & admin professionals
Administrative assistants, office managers and executive support who want to work faster without losing accuracy.
Bookkeepers & customer service
People who handle data, documents and customer questions every day and want a dependable, checked process.
Small-business owners
Owners who want to put AI to work on their own operations, safely and with measurable results.
Women returning to work
Re-enter the workforce with current, in-demand skills and a portfolio project that proves them.
You'll need: comfort with email, documents and a web browser · a computer and reliable internet · about 5–6 hours a week · a willingness to practice, ask questions and revise your work.
How it works
Watch it. Practice it with guidance. Show you can do it on your own.
An apprenticeship-style rhythm built for busy schedules. Every teaching week follows the same simple pattern.
Online lessons
Short lessons and guided exercises, completed on your own schedule.
Live practice lab
A weekly online session: live demonstration, hands-on practice and personal feedback.
Independent practice
Assignments that build, week by week, into your final portfolio project.
Group office hours
Fridays, 1:00–3:00 p.m. PST, in each teaching week. Drop in for questions and extra help; included in tuition.
Miss a live lab? You'll get an equivalent practice assignment so you never fall behind.
Employers: invest in women. Put new skills to work. Sponsor a woman to improve one repetitive task with AI, check the results, and share an approved process with coworkers. Support her professional growth while building practical capability across your company.
Sponsor women in techFlagship program
Applied AI for Business
From everyday AI use to a tested business workflow you can confidently demonstrate. Exercises use sample business information, so you learn safely from day one.
Founding cohort: 10 teaching weeks from the week of November 2, 2026 through the week of January 25, 2027.
Break weeks: Nov 23, 2026; Dec 21, 2026; Dec 28, 2026. No labs: Nov 25, 2026; Dec 23, 2026; Dec 30, 2026. Wednesday practice labs, 1:00–2:30 p.m. PST (UTC−8), during each of the ten teaching weeks. Time zone: America/Los_Angeles.
Optional: import this file into your calendar to see local times. All labs are 1:00–2:30 p.m. PST and optional office hours are Fridays 1:00–3:00 p.m. PST (America/Los_Angeles, UTC−8), teaching weeks only. This calendar contains session dates only, not meeting links, enrollment or a seat reservation. Optional weekly group office hours are included in tuition and are in this calendar; no sessions are held during break weeks.
Optional group office hours, Fridays 1:00–3:00 p.m. PST (UTC−8), during each of the ten teaching weeks; none during break weeks. The calendar download includes the ten Wednesday labs and the ten Friday office hours.
Week beginning Monday
Wednesday lab , 1:00–2:30 p.m. PST
Getting Comfortable With AI
What generative AI does, where it makes mistakes, and safe information handling from the start.
Week beginning Monday
Wednesday lab , 1:00–2:30 p.m. PST
Giving AI Clear Instructions
Goal, context, sources, constraints and format — turn vague requests into reusable templates.
Week beginning Monday
Wednesday lab , 1:00–2:30 p.m. PST
Business Writing & Communication
Emails, customer responses and updates that match your tone and keep the facts right.
Week beginning Monday
Wednesday lab , 1:00–2:30 p.m. PST
Research & Fact-Checking
Separate supplied facts from generated claims and verify against original sources.
Week beginning Monday
Wednesday lab , 1:00–2:30 p.m. PST
Documents & Business Knowledge
Summarize meetings, compare documents and draft procedures from approved material.
Week beginning Monday
Wednesday lab , 1:00–2:30 p.m. PST
Spreadsheets & Business Insights
Ask questions of simple datasets, spot data problems and verify every calculation.
Week beginning Monday
Wednesday lab , 1:00–2:30 p.m. PST
Safe & Responsible AI at Work
Protect sensitive information, use approved tools and know when to stop and ask.
Week beginning Monday
Wednesday lab , 1:00–2:30 p.m. PST
Building a Repeatable Workflow
Map inputs, steps, quality checks and human approval for one recurring task.
Week beginning Monday
Wednesday lab , 1:00–2:30 p.m. PST
Testing, Improving & Teaching
Test hard cases, measure results and hand your workflow to a classmate.
Week beginning Monday
Wednesday lab , 1:00–2:30 p.m. PST
Final Demonstration
Present your solution, its limits and your evidence — then plan your next career step.
What you graduate with
Not just a certificate. Proof.
Your final project starts in Week 4: one realistic small-business problem, solved with a tested AI-assisted workflow. You demonstrate it live on a brand-new example, and you leave with a portfolio case study you can show any employer or client.
Sample final projects
Customer communication — draft responses from an approved FAQ, with escalation rules and human review.
Meeting follow-through — turn notes into a checked summary, assigned actions and a follow-up.
Business reporting — turn a sample spreadsheet into a verified weekly summary.
Earning your certificate
Certificate of Completion in Applied AI for Business
Complete all assignments, pass knowledge checks at 80% or higher, and score at least 80 of 100 on your final project — including the essential safety requirements. One project revision and reassessment is included in tuition.
Sagewell certificates are academy-issued by PND Enterprises and recognize demonstrated skills. They are not academic credit or an accredited credential.
Coming next
Cybersecurity & AI Safety
Protect a small business, its customers and its data in an AI-powered workplace. Launch date to be announced.
Workflow Automation
Connect apps and automate recurring business processes, with the right checks in place. Launch date to be announced.
Tuition
Founding-cohort pricing
Founding students help shape the program with structured feedback, and lock in the lowest price we'll offer.
Employer sponsorship: invest in women, strengthen your team
Sponsor a woman to work toward a tangible workplace improvement and share practical AI knowledge with coworkers—so her growth can benefit the wider company, not just one person.
Ask your employer to support your growth and a practical improvement for your team. Sponsored seats are available at the same founding price, with invoicing for the business. Our women-centered program welcomes anyone who meets the course requirements. Ask about sponsoring a woman · View the employer sponsorship sheet.
Three-payment schedule (same $1,495 total)
- $499immediately on enrollment
- $498October 26, 2026
- $498before November 2, 2026
All tuition is due before November 2, 2026. No late enrollment.
Checkout availability is confirmed on the payment page. Use Enroll & Pay to review tuition, or send an inquiry below. No payment is taken by this form. Before paying, review the Refund and Cancellation Policy and the Learner Code of Conduct.
Meet your instructor
Denise Welch
Educator, business owner and AI consultant with more than three decades in Southern California business.
Denise began her career as a teacher, then founded Computerworks, Inc. in 1992 to train and support local businesses through every wave of new technology. She has served as a business specialist with the Coachella Valley SBDC, helped local businesses secure roughly $5 million in SBA disaster loans in 2020, and run companies in the $500K–$2M range. Today she helps small businesses and executives adopt AI practically and safely, and she built Sagewell, a program of PND Enterprises, to give women the same advantage.
Denise is also the author of AI Strategy & Implementation Planning Kit, released in 2024.
Questions, answered
No. If you can use email, documents and a web browser, you are ready. Every lesson starts from everyday business tasks you already understand.
About 5–6 hours: roughly 2 hours of self-paced lessons, a 90-minute live lab, and 2 hours of independent practice. The office hour is optional.
You will receive an equivalent practice assignment so you stay on track. Every student does complete an individual final demonstration.
It is an academy-issued Certificate of Completion, issued by PND Enterprises, that recognizes skills you have demonstrated. It is not academic credit or an accredited credential, and it does not guarantee a job, raise or promotion. What employers see is your portfolio project and what you can show them.
Sagewell is designed around the goals and schedules of women at every career stage, and it is open to every learner who meets the course requirements.
Select Enroll & Pay to review tuition and current checkout availability on the academy’s secure payment website. Sign in or create your tuition account, choose a payment plan, review and accept the Refund and Cancellation Policy and Learner Code of Conduct, then select Continue to Stripe secure checkout. If payment is unavailable, contact the academy for help. An inquiry through the form does not reserve a seat or collect money.
The ten Wednesday live labs, 1:00–2:30 p.m. PST, and the ten optional Friday group office hours, 1:00–3:00 p.m. PST. No sessions are held during break weeks. Meeting links are not in the file.
Yes. Employer-sponsored seats are available at the founding price, and businesses can be invoiced directly.
Ask about the November cohort
Program weeks begin November 2, 2026. Live labs meet Wednesdays, 1:00–2:30 p.m. PST (UTC−8). Optional group office hours meet Fridays, 1:00–3:00 p.m. PST. Send an inquiry for enrollment details and a short conversation about fit. Not ready for November? Join the interest list for updates about later cohorts and upcoming programs. We will contact you personally.
Checkout availability is confirmed on the payment page. Use Enroll & Pay to review tuition, or send an inquiry below. No payment is taken by this form.
Enroll & PayPrefer to talk? 760-409-3430 · hello@sagewelltechacademy.com