Apple has announced the creation of Europe’s first iOS App Development Center in Italy, which is designed to give students practical skills and training on developing iOS apps.

The iOS App Development Center will be located at a partner institution in Naples. Apple CEO Tim Cook says it will support teachers and provide a specialized curriculum preparing thousands of future developers to be part of Apple’s thriving developer community. In addition, the Cupertino, California-based company will work with partners around Italy who deliver developer training to complement this curriculum and create additional opportunities for students. Apple expects to expand this program to other countries around the world, says Cook.

“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,” he adds. “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.”

Cook says Apple is a “powerful engine of growth” across Europe and the company’s ecosystem now supports more than 1.4 million jobs, including 1.2 million attributable to the community of app creators, software engineers and entrepreneurs building apps for iOS, as well as non-IT jobs supported directly and indirectly through the app economy (based on research by Dr. Michael Mandel, Progressive Policy Institute. “App Economy Jobs in Europe,” Jan. 21, 2016.)

The growth of the App Store has helped developers in Europe earn over €10.2 billion from selling their apps. In Italy, Cook says over 75,000 jobs are attributable to the App Store and the developer community is “vibrant.”