Learning and development

Northwind pays for you to keep learning. The rules are in POL-HR-007; this page is the practical summary.

What you get each year

Benefit Amount
Learning budget $1,500 per employee per year
Learning hours 40 hours per year, in work time
Exam leave Up to 5 days for professional exams
Conference Attending one conference every 2 years

How to use your budget

  1. Pick a course, book, certification or conference that helps your role or your career path.
  2. Agree it with your manager first.
  3. Book it, pay, and submit the receipt as an expense; see Submit expenses.
  4. Log the hours in your timesheet so the 40-hour target can be tracked.

Certifications

If Northwind pays for a certification that costs more than $1,000, you agree to repay it if you leave within 12 months of the payment. For certifications of $1,000 or less there is no repayment condition.

Security awareness training

Security awareness training is required every year for everyone, in addition to your learning budget. It does not use your $1,500. See Password manager and MFA for the related security basics.

Questions

Ask your manager first, then HR (Carol Nakamura); see Who to ask.

Owner: Carol Nakamura - Last updated: 2026-09-17