Apple announced on Thursday it is opening its European iOS Development Centre in Naples, Italy. It is aimed at providing practical skills and training to the next generation of developers on making iOS apps.

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The Cupertino giant's Naples-based iOS Development Centre will support and provide enthusiasts a specialised curriculum and create more developers. It will also work with partners around Italy who deliver developer-training to complement this curriculum and create additional opportunities for students.

The company said it planning to expand this programme to other countries in future.

"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," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, in a statement. "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 said 1.2 million of 1.4 million jobs from its ecosystem are connected to the community of app creators, software engineers and entrepreneurs building apps for the iOS, and non-IT jobs connected to app economy. It went on to say developers in Europe earn over €10.2 billion from app sales, and an estimated 75,000 jobs in Italy are attributable to the App Store.

"Apple's continued innovation inspires us to create the best mobile experiences and make our customers' lives just a little bit easier. Apple's app ecosystem is the anchor for our business, and developing across Apple's operating systems has enabled us to easily and quickly bring the Qurami experience to iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch users," said Roberto Macina, CEO and founder of Qurami.