The International Training Office (ITO), a unit of the International Programs Division at Northern Illinois University, will be the major implementing body of the proposed program. ITO is the international training resource unit of the university and is in charge of administering certificate courses and short-term training programs for international client organizations, both from the government and the private sector for the past 20 years. Through the years, ITO has carved a niche as an enabler and facilitator of change and as an active partner in developing the human resources potential of professionals from the less advanced areas of the world. ITO has enhanced the capacities of public sector, private sector and non-governmental organizations as well as individuals from many countries in the world, including Argentina, Costa Rica, Chile, Colombia, Cyprus, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, and Venezuela.

For two decades, ITO has been engaged in design and delivery of training programs in a wide variety of fields that are customized to the special requirements of international clients. ITO's training philosophy emphasizes active learning methodologies to maximize learner participation and promote creative and practical applications. ITO advocates participatory processes in training design and implementation and has remained at the forefront of the learner-centered training approach. ITO has the capacity, the institutional resources, flexibility, and the personnel to develop and implement training programs that maximize learner participation and promote creative and practical applications.