It is a pretty good time to be an Apple Store employee. In addition to the recently announced Mac and iPad discount program, which slashes prices by $500 and $250, respectively, as well as annual raises that came four months early, Apple has begun a new training program.

On Sunday, New York Times launched a fresh assault on Apple over treatment of its retail store employees. That said, in addition to complaints over pay, an issue Apple just addressed with a fresh round of raises, NYT reports employees bemoan the fact that they have little chance of upward mobility within retail and beyond.

Now, according to 9 to 5 Mac, Apple’s working to get a handle on that problem, as well. The new Pathways Apple Store employee program, about which upper management is excited, goes a little like this:

• Designed to foster an improved Apple retail experience for both employees and Apple customers
• Designed to create an Apple career path for new Apple retail hires
• A new hire will be considered in training for the duration of his first year
• The program’s logo is a green iOS icon with a path like, curved arrow formation
• Will provide 3X core training vs. the previous regime
• Apple Stores will have a new employee dedicated to managing Pathways and other training operations

Apple’s new retail vice president, John Browett, is certainly making an impression — new Mac and iPad discount program, accelerated pay raise schedule and now the Pathways career path training program.

And, isn’t it interesting that Apple announced its new retail worker training program on the day that NYT published a piss piece about, of all things, Apple Store employee dissatisfaction? Boom, Apple owns the issue…

What’s your take?

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