Certified Training Access
This section of the playbook outlines SparkFabrik’s policy for certified training. It details the types of certifications supported by the company, the eligibility criteria, and the specific enrollment options based on role and team.
Types of Certifications Covered
SparkFabrik’s company budget will fund certifications in the following areas:
- Cloud Computing and Infrastructure, with certifications determined by the current needs of the company and the existing tech stack
- Software Development, with certifications selected among the ones available for the stacks and frameworks we use
- Cross-functional Skills, such as Project Management, HR, Coaching, Administration, Design, and other relevant topics
Eligibility for Certified Training
All staff members have access to certified training. Currently, specialized certified training is offered to individuals working in the following sectors:
- Platform Team
- Development Teams
Specific certifications required by other departments’ staff are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Enrollment
The enrollment process may be:
- Company-initiated: in this case, an HR or Tech representative will contact the employee directly and explain the applicable enrollment model.
- Employee-initiated: any employee may request to enroll in certified training by submitting a formal request through the training request form.
Below are the enrollment models applicable to each team.
Platform Team
Platform team members are expected to obtain the CKA certification plus one vendor-specific cloud certification within two years of employment. Every two years after that, they are expected to enroll for an additional certification related to Kubernetes or a Cloud vendor of their choice among the ones we work with.
| Policy | |
|---|---|
| Time goal | 6-to-12 calendar months (depending on the difficulty) |
| Success bounty | Not provided for Cloud certification |
| Bounty Payout | N/A |
| Study Time | Personal Time. Study hours can fit the job schedule up to a certain annual per-person training budget. Study hours scheduling must be discussed with and approved by the Platform Team Leader. |
Development Team
Developers can pursue certifications based on their interest or company suggestion. A bonus may be offered for achieving Cloud-related or certifications required by the company, within six months of starting the training. More details on the bonus will follow.
For Cloud-related certifications or certifications on non-dev topics explicitly proposed by the company, the employee may choose two enrollment models:
| Option 1 | Option 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Time goal | 6 calendar months | 12 calendar months |
| Success bounty | € 1.000 | Not provided |
| Bounty Payout | End of June, End of December (whichever comes first) | N/A |
| Study Time | Personal Time. Study may be scheduled during working hours as long as it doesn’t impact planned deliveries. | Reserved working time (how much depends on the certification training path, up to 4hrs a week). |
For dev-related certifications or certifications required by the employee, there are two enrollment models too:
| Option 1 | Option 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Time goal | 12 calendar months | N/A |
| Success bounty | Not provided | Not provided |
| Bounty Payout | N/A | N/A |
| Study Time | Reserved working time (up to 4hrs/week, based on path) | Personal Time. Study may be scheduled during working hours as long as it doesn’t impact planned deliveries. |
Other Staff or Different Topics
Employees in platform and development roles, as well as those in all other positions, who wish to pursue certifications beyond the standard requirements must submit an individual request for certified training. These requests will be reviewed individually to determine approval and specific conditions, including:
- Time goal
- Expenses coverage mode (reimbursement, direct purchase, etc.)
- Study Time
No bonus is provided for the required training.
If approved, the certification itself is the reward.