This industry is becoming more like most others where degrees are becoming more important than certifications. That said, there are still many jobs advertised that list certs as minimum job requirements. Most small businesses can't afford the luxury of computer labs and they won't be used if techs can't schedule training time. They're often busy working the crisis of the day. I'm all for continuing training and I believe companies should encourage and fund it. They can recover at least part of their investment by requiring reimbursement by employees that leave without completing a time commitment based on the expense of the training. Exceptions for valid reasons (health problems, harassment cases, etc) can be built into the agreement between the company and employee prior to training.