Velza Academy VELZA ACADEMY NCA-GENL
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NVIDIA-Certified Associate · NCA-GENL

Get ready for the NVIDIA Generative AI exam.

Three weeks of live, hands-on prep for the NVIDIA-Certified Associate: Generative AI and LLMs. A rapid pass through the whole blueprint, heaviest domains first.

6 live sessions3 weeks1-year replay accessNo coding requiredBlueprint-weighted
NCA-GENL official certification badge
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Early bird pricing ends in 00d 00h 00m 00s $99 for any cohort until then

Your instructor

Mike Wheeler, founder of Velza Training and Consulting

Learn from Mike Wheeler

Mike Wheeler is an AI and Salesforce trainer and O’Reilly author. He has taught well over 500,000 global learners on major platforms such as edX, LinkedIn Learning, Pearson, and Udemy, and he built the first generative AI course on edX. He teaches for non-coders, working backward from your career goals.

500,000+ global learners taught O’Reilly author

Non-coders and technical professionals targeting the NVIDIA NCA-GENL credential who want the essentials, fast, without wading through everything alone.

The NCA-GENL is one of the first vendor credentials built specifically around generative AI and large language models. It rewards breadth and clear understanding rather than deep coding. We cover the whole blueprint and spend your hours where the exam does.

The curriculum & schedule

Your 6 live sessions

Six live sessions over three weeks: three teaching sessions plus three optional office hours. All times Central. Can’t make one live? Every session is recorded.

1
Monday, August 3
2-3 PM Central

Core ML & AI Knowledge Foundations

RAG, embeddings, prompt engineering, and the machine-learning fundamentals that anchor the largest slice of the exam.

Core Machine Learning & AI Knowledge · 30%~30% of the exam
2
Friday, August 7
2-3 PM Central

Office Hours Optional

Job-market intel and open Q&A, shared across every Velza Academy cohort.

3
Monday, August 10
2-3 PM Central

Data Analysis + Experimentation

Metrics, visualization, confounders, A/B testing, and interpreting results. The exam’s analytical core.

Experimentation · 22%Data Analysis & Visualization · 14%~36% of the exam
4
Friday, August 14
2-3 PM Central

Office Hours Optional

Job-market intel and open Q&A, shared across every Velza Academy cohort.

5
Monday, August 17
2-3 PM Central

Software Development, Trustworthy AI & Exam Readiness

Building RAG, chatbot, and summarizer patterns plus monitoring, then ethics, privacy, and bias, closing with a practice clinic.

Software Development · 24%Trustworthy AI · 10%~34% of the exam
6
Friday, August 21
2-3 PM Central

Office Hours Optional

Job-market intel and open Q&A, shared across every Velza Academy cohort.

1
Monday, September 7
2-3 PM Central

Core ML & AI Knowledge Foundations

RAG, embeddings, prompt engineering, and the machine-learning fundamentals that anchor the largest slice of the exam.

Core Machine Learning & AI Knowledge · 30%~30% of the exam
2
Friday, September 11
2-3 PM Central

Office Hours Optional

Job-market intel and open Q&A, shared across every Velza Academy cohort.

3
Monday, September 14
2-3 PM Central

Data Analysis + Experimentation

Metrics, visualization, confounders, A/B testing, and interpreting results. The exam’s analytical core.

Experimentation · 22%Data Analysis & Visualization · 14%~36% of the exam
4
Friday, September 18
2-3 PM Central

Office Hours Optional

Job-market intel and open Q&A, shared across every Velza Academy cohort.

5
Monday, September 21
2-3 PM Central

Software Development, Trustworthy AI & Exam Readiness

Building RAG, chatbot, and summarizer patterns plus monitoring, then ethics, privacy, and bias, closing with a practice clinic.

Software Development · 24%Trustworthy AI · 10%~34% of the exam
6
Friday, September 25
2-3 PM Central

Office Hours Optional

Job-market intel and open Q&A, shared across every Velza Academy cohort.

1
Monday, October 5
2-3 PM Central

Core ML & AI Knowledge Foundations

RAG, embeddings, prompt engineering, and the machine-learning fundamentals that anchor the largest slice of the exam.

Core Machine Learning & AI Knowledge · 30%~30% of the exam
2
Friday, October 9
2-3 PM Central

Office Hours Optional

Job-market intel and open Q&A, shared across every Velza Academy cohort.

3
Monday, October 12
2-3 PM Central

Data Analysis + Experimentation

Metrics, visualization, confounders, A/B testing, and interpreting results. The exam’s analytical core.

Experimentation · 22%Data Analysis & Visualization · 14%~36% of the exam
4
Friday, October 16
2-3 PM Central

Office Hours Optional

Job-market intel and open Q&A, shared across every Velza Academy cohort.

5
Monday, October 19
2-3 PM Central

Software Development, Trustworthy AI & Exam Readiness

Building RAG, chatbot, and summarizer patterns plus monitoring, then ethics, privacy, and bias, closing with a practice clinic.

Software Development · 24%Trustworthy AI · 10%~34% of the exam
6
Friday, October 23
2-3 PM Central

Office Hours Optional

Job-market intel and open Q&A, shared across every Velza Academy cohort.

What you’ll walk away with

By the end, you’ll be able to

Generative-AI skills are showing up in more job postings every month, and this is one of the first credentials that proves them.

There is a well-documented shortage of AI talent. A new generation of AI certifications is emerging to prove those skills, and the NVIDIA NCA-GENL is one leading the pack.

Exam coverage

What the NCA-GENL exam covers

Every domain in the official blueprint, weighted so you spend time where the exam does.

Core Machine Learning & AI Knowledge30%
Software Development24%
Experimentation22%
Data Analysis & Visualization14%
Trustworthy AI10%

What’s included

Everything that’s included

6 live sessions

Three teaching sessions plus three optional office hours, live over three weeks. Mondays at 2-3 PM Central.

1-year replay access

Every session is recorded, and you keep access to the replays for a full year, so you can rewatch any time before your exam.

Weekly hands-on projects

A real hands-on exercise each week, so you build working intuition rather than just notes.

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Questions, answered

Frequently asked

I’m not a developer. Can I do this?

Yes. The NCA-GENL rewards clear understanding of concepts more than coding ability. We explain the machine-learning foundations in plain language and build up from there.

What is this exam?

The NVIDIA-Certified Associate: Generative AI and LLMs (NCA-GENL) is an entry-level credential covering core machine learning and AI knowledge, software development patterns, experimentation, data analysis and visualization, and trustworthy AI.

Do I need an NVIDIA GPU or any special hardware?

No. Nothing in this cohort requires GPU access. The exam tests understanding of concepts and patterns, not hands-on cluster work.

Is the exam fee included?

No. This cohort is exam prep. You register and pay for the exam separately through NVIDIA.

What if I can’t make a session live?

Every session is recorded and shared, and you keep access to the replays for a full year, so you can watch or rewatch any of them on your own schedule. The optional Friday office hours are recorded too.

Why a live cohort instead of studying on my own?

Self-study stalls. A live cohort gives you a fixed three-week pace, the chance to ask questions in real time, weekly hands-on work, and optional office hours. You actually finish.

What is your refund policy?

You can request a full refund within 24 hours of the start of the first live session.