Apple creates program to assist new employees on Apple careers

Apple has launched a new program to assist its first-year employees on their career paths within the company.

Apple revealed the program, called Pathways, to its employees Sunday night at its stores’ quarterly meetings. The program is built around creating an Apple career path for new hires and extends the amount of time employees are in training during their first year at the company.

Pathways comes after a major report by the New York Times, published over the weekend, that highlighted how Apple treats its 30,000 retail employees in the U.S.

PHOTOS: Rumor roundup on iPhone 5

The article shed light on the fact that Apple does not pay commission to its employees, works them in high-stress environments and doesn’t offer many opportunities for them to ever move up the ranks.

Apple is expected to release more details of the program soon, but in the meantime, Nine to 5 Mac reports that Pathways will put new hires in training during their entire first year at the company.

The change will affect new and current first-year employees. Apple will create a new position in which one employee at each store will be focused solely on Pathways and other forms of training.

Pathways also comes after Apple gave its retail employees several new benefits. Last week, the company gave abnormally high raises in addition to $500 Mac and $250 iPad discounts along with early tests of its upcoming operating system, Mountain Lion.

Although the raises were expected and the discounts had been previously announced by CEO Tim Cook, they arrived sooner than expected and their timing, as well as that of the discounts, were suspicious considering the New York Times article.

Apple did not respond to a request for comment.

RELATED:

Apple showers retail employees with benefits

Judge dismisses Apple, Motorola patent case once again

Did N.Y. Times report drive Apple to be extra generous to workers?

Follow Salvador Rodriguez on Facebook, Twitter or Google+