Apple announced Thursday the creation of what the company said was the first iOS App Development Center in Italy. In a press release that emphasized Apple's impact on Italy's economy and the number of jobs the company has directly and indirectly fostered in Europe, Apple said the Center would help give students "practical skills and training on developing iOS apps."
The iOS App Development Center will be housed in an unspecified institute in Naples, and it will teach students a "specialized curriculum" for learning how to develop iOS apps. The Center will also work with outside partners who "deliver developer training to complement this curriculum and create additional opportunities for students."
Apple said it plans to expand the program to other markets throughout the globe, making this Center a blueprint for future efforts.
As noted above, a big part of Apple's press released focused on Apple's contributions to the European economy, including CEO Tim Cook's statement:
Europe is home to some of the most creative developers in the world and we're thrilled to be helping the next generation of entrepreneurs in Italy get the skills they need for success. The phenomenal success of the App Store is one of the driving forces behind the more than 1.4 million jobs Apple has created in Europe and presents unlimited opportunities for people of all ages and businesses of all sizes across the continent.
Apple cited 1.4 million jobs in Europe supported by its ecosystem, with some 1.2 million jobs in the developer community. Those numbers were attributed in the release to research by Dr. Michael Mandel, Progressive Policy Institute. "App Economy Jobs in Europe," published January 21, 2016, which is today.