VOA常速英语2017--美国助力亚美尼亚IT行业发展（在线收听）

The Innovative Solutions and Technologies Center, or ISTC has been supporting the development of Armenia's information technology sector since 2014. It recently opened a new 1,000 square-meter state-of-the-art premises on the Yerevan State University campus.

The ISTC -- a joint project of the Government of Armenia, the Enterprise Incubator Foundation, IBM, USAID, and Yerevan State University -- helps meet the demand for quality specialists to work in Armenia's IT sector. ISTC will help develop and strengthen the education and research potential of Armenian universities in the areas of IT and hi-tech.

“I am proud of the fact that this uniquely designed partnership promotes the education of one of Armenia's most valuable resources – its youth. The collaboration between the private sector and universities creates economic opportunities for younger generations of Armenia,” said U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills, who was joined at the opening of the new facility by more than 100 Armenian tech and business representatives.

The ISTC serves students and university faculty, providing them with the latest hardware and software for training and research. Since the project's launch, the ISTC has already assisted more than 100 professors from nine major Armenian universities to improve their training courses. Thanks to these efforts, more than 1,500 students already received training through 30 modernized curricula in the areas of artificial intelligence, business process management, cloud computing, and cyber security among others.

Supporting the development of Armenia's IT sector has long been a priority of the U.S., Ambassador Mills said. “USAID support to the IT sector began a decade ago. Since that time, USAID has played an important role in laying the foundation for a strong and vibrant IT sector in Armenia,” he said during the opening.

“We see the establishment of the Innovative Solutions and Technologies Center as a capstone achievement in our efforts to partner with you to develop and strengthen IT in Armenia.”

自2014年以来，（ISTC）就一直在支持亚美尼亚IT行业的发展。最近，创新方案和技术中心又在埃里温国立大学校园内新开设了一个占地1000平方米的先进事务所。

创新方案和技术中心是由亚美尼亚政府、企业孵化器基金会、国际商用机器公司（IBM）、美国国际开发署（USAID）和埃里温国立大学联合创办的项目，该项目助力满足有意愿在亚美尼亚IT行业发展的优质专家的工作要求。创新方案和技术中心将会助力发展并加强亚美尼亚各所大学在IT和高技术领域的教研潜力。

“我很骄傲地看到，这一设计别出心裁的合作项目提升了为亚美尼亚最宝贵的资源之一——年轻人提升了教育。私企与大学之间的合作为亚美尼亚的青年一代创造了许多经济机会，”美国驻亚美尼亚大使理查德?米尔斯说。理查德和100多名亚美尼亚科技领域和商圈代表共同参加了新事务所的开幕式。

创新方案和技术中心为大学师生服务，为他们提供最新的硬件和软件设施，以供其进行培训和研究。自创新方案和技术中心的项目创建伊始，该项目已协助亚美尼亚9个主要高校的100多名教授提升了其培训课程。正是由于上述努力，1500多名学生已经接受到了30个现代化课程的培训内容，具体领域如：人工智能、业务流程管理、云计算、网络安全等。

长期以来，支持亚美尼亚IT行业的发展都是美国的首要任务之一，理查德说。“美国国际开发署早在10年前就开始支持其IT行业了。从那时候起，美国国际开发署就一直在为打造强大而又有活力的亚美尼亚IT业基础方面起到了重要的作用，”理查德在开幕式上说。

“我们将创新方案和技术中心项目的创立视为我们与亚美尼亚合作以发展并壮大其IT业的巅峰成就。”