The Center for Women's Training in Telecommunications and IT is part of the leading university for technology in Uzbekistan, the Tashkent University of Information Technology (TUIT). The fields of telecommunications and IT are expanding rapidly in Uzbekistan and Central Asia, and are an excellent source of employment and job creation. However, these fields are currently almost totally dominated by men, and it is the mission of the Center to provide training for women in telecoms, IT, e-government, e-commerce and related fields, to allow them to obtain good jobs and improve their life situations. Specific target audiences include women leaving college and seeking specialized training, women in industry and government who seek to improve their skills, and lesser-trained women who want to learn how to use the new tools of the computer and the Internet.

The project objective is to get the Center underway, provide it with equipment essential for relevant training, train over 2000 women in the first four years of operation, and reach a threshold point, after which the Center will be self-sustaining. The target area for the Center, which will be addressed in the first four years, includes the city of Tashkent and two regional distance learning centers in Uzbekistan. These three centers will serve Uzbekistan, and also women from other Central Asian Republics, who will be brought to the Center for training. Thus this project will have an impact over a very large area, and will affect the lives of many women.

The methods for achieving this objective include the following:

• Capitalize on the excellent reputation of the TUIT
• Utilize the space allocated to the Center by TUIT, and the six expert core staff already assembled by the Center
• Build links with universities in other Uzbek and Central Asian cities, many of which have already expressed serious interest in the project
• Develop modern courseware directly relevant to the needs of employers in Central Asia, using adaptations and translations of courses delivered in the West
• Utilize Western experts and professors to "train the trainers," so that local trainers can take over the instruction at lower cost
• Charge prices for training that vary according to the situation and sponsorship of the students, with very affordable prices for non-sponsored women.
• Build a large enough student body to become financially self-sustaining on an operating basis in 4 years of operation, and self-sustaining including capital equipment replacement in 6-7 years.