That is wholly dependent on the vendor. There are a lot of models out there. Clearly some of the more efficient models out there will offer you choices. Take for example a company like ours -- we're a seven-person company. It would be difficult for me to take one or two people offline for days or weeks to pursue certification training.
There are certification programs out there that may require a day of training. I know of some that require weeks of training. So depending on the size of your organization, and what kind of flexibility you have with your people, those certifications that require more time, and certainly if they require travel, may just not be possible for you to pursue; you may not be able to afford to have someone out of pocket that long, [when you take into consideration] the [lost] revenue potential, as well as the expenses that go along with sending them to training.
The programs that are most successful are the ones that give you options. You may have someone who would be fantastic if you sat them in a corner with a book for as long as they need -- they can study up and learn technology and pass that exam. You have others that might want to do it in their own self-paced environment online. You may have others that want to sit in a class for a half a day or a day. You may have those who are perfectly willing and able to go off for a week at a time for training. It's very dependent on what the vendor offers and then what the VAR is able to manage within their business.
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