Apple is partnering with an unnamed institution in Naples, Italy, as part of the company's move to open its first iOS App Development Center in Europe.

Apple says the center will provide upcoming students the necessary skills and training they need in developing iOS apps. Along with on-site teachers, the center will also offer a specialized curriculum and complement such with a developer training opportunity by establishing other partnerships across Italy.

"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," says Apple CEO Tim Cook.

He also cites how the App Store and its unbelievable success has contributed to the creation of over 1.4 million jobs that are being enjoyed by people from all age groups and businesses of varying sizes in Europe. 

Apple says it hopes the iOS App Development Center will help generate more jobs in the thriving iOS community. Out of more than 1.4 million jobs created, more than 75,000 are found in Italy and have been attributed to the App Store. IK Multimedia, which was founded in Italy, launched its first app in 2009 and had more than 25 million downloads since then.

With the continuing growth of the App Store, developers in Europe have been able to sell their apps all over the world, allowing them to earn more than €10.2 billion or about $11 billion. Apple's ecosystem now has a large pool of entrepreneurs, software engineers and app creators as well as non-IT staff that are supported through the app economy.

"Apple's continued innovation inspires us to create the best mobile experiences and make our customers' lives just a little bit easier," says Roberto Macina, CEO and founder of Qurami.

He describes the app ecosystem of Apple as the anchor of his business and recalls how they were able to quickly deliver the Qurami experience to a number of iOS users through successful developing ventures involving Apple's varying OS.

Apple plans to build more app development centers in the near future and aims to add more countries in its international expansion of these centers. The company is yet to announce the specific date when it will officially open the center in Naples, Italy.

Photo : Álvaro Ibáñez I Flickr