Studying For Certification Exams On Company Time?

An anonymous reader writes "Companies sometimes require employees to hold or obtain certifications — for example in order to achieve Cisco certified partner status. Some companies pay for employees' exams and encourage employees to study on company time. Others expect employees to obtain mandated certifications on their personal time and dime. Should companies be able to require employees to obtain a certification, but refuse to pay for it, under threat of losing their job to a certified individual? Should it be or is it even legal to demand this of employees, especially if such a certification was not required at the time of hire?"

Comments

It's called competition

[dragisha]

Everybody brags of freedom this freedom that... And forgets how employers also have some rights, for example to have the best employees their money can buy....

Thus said - of course they can give opportunity to each employee to keep their job, or advance in it, and of course to lose it to better suited individual if they fail to catch up. Wouldn't it be unfair to everybody else if they can't get some job, even if they are better choice for employer - just because someone got there first?

Opportunity to study at company time, or to have paid exams are just perks of some job... Many people, and I mean MANY, just don't get perk like that.

Maybe some people just need to move to some socialist country for change? :)