During a recent press conference on state opportunities and benefits in IT education, it was noted that over 65,000 young individuals are currently studying at more than 600 IT centers across Uzbekistan.
IT education centers have struggled to correlate their effectiveness with the employment rates of their graduates. 
In accordance with the Presidential Decree of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated 01.02.2024 "On Additional Measures to Support the Training of Qualified Specialists in the Field of Digitalization" and in accordance with the Cabinet of Ministers' Resolution "On Direction of Export of IT Services", the "IT-Talent" program was officially launched this year.
The "IT Talent" initiative aims to promote the growth of private educational institutions that train highly qualified specialists for IT export companies, especially those located in the IT Park. According to the decree, graduates of non-governmental educational organizations who secure employment in IT export companies can receive a one-time subsidy of up to 25 million soums (up to 75 times the minimum calculation rate), while young graduates with disabilities can receive up to 35 million soums (105 times the minimum calculation rate).
To facilitate these subsidies, a specialized information system (crm.digital.uz) was launched in March this year. At present, more than 485 educational organizations have registered, providing information on 1,281 training courses. More than 26,800 students have successfully completed these programs, and another 5,600 are actively studying. To date, more than 11,000 graduates are employed, including 467 in IT export companies.
For an IT training center to qualify for the subsidy, it must first upload information about its students into the CRM system. Graduates must secure employment with an IT export company within three months of graduation and maintain continuous employment for at least six months. In addition, the IT export company must have been a resident for more than six months and generate annual export revenues at least equal to its total payroll costs. Once these requirements are met, the training center can apply for the subsidy through the Unified Interactive Government Services Portal, and the funds will be credited within 15 business days.
This decree effectively introduces competitive standards for training centers, as employment rates are now tracked in real time through the CRM system. The government incentive motivates IT centers to align their training programs with international market requirements and equip their graduates to meet the standards of IT exporting companies.
The program also benefits the public by allowing parents to select IT centers that demonstrate a high employment rate for graduates. The ranking of IT training centers updates in real-time, reflecting graduates' employment outcomes in both local and international IT companies. Data from the CRM platform show that more than 11,000 students from over 420 registered centers have secured official employment.
Looking forward, the Ministry of Digital Technologies aims to support private IT centers to increase the number of IT training institutions to 1,000 by 2030 and raise student enrollment to 108,000. If successfully implemented, the "IT-Talent" program could help achieve the Ministry's target of 300,000 young people employed in the IT sector by 2030, alongside an increase in IT exports to 5 billion dollars.
Furthermore, the government has introduced mechanisms to reimburse up to 50% of costs for young people (ages 14-31) who earn international IT certifications, promoting IT education among talented youth. According to Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 95, issued on February 17, 2024, reimbursement has been increased to cover up to 60% of certification costs.