Broadcom VMware Training and Certification
The state of Broadcom VMware training and certification in 2026 — what changed, what still has value, what to skip, and where to direct training spend for organisations running or migrating off VMware.
The Broadcom acquisition of VMware reshaped not just the product and licensing landscape but also the training and certification ecosystem that surrounds it. Education, certification, and partner enablement programmes were rebalanced significantly between 2024 and 2026, with some legacy paths discontinued, others consolidated, and new programmes introduced under Broadcom branding. For IT leaders deciding what skills to develop, what certifications to pursue, and what training spend to authorise, the current state of Broadcom VMware training is more complex than it appears on the surface. This article maps the changes, explains what is still valuable, and highlights what to watch for.
What changed under Broadcom
The certification rebrand and consolidation
VMware's pre-acquisition certification programme — Certified Technical Associate (VCTA), Certified Professional (VCP), Certified Advanced Professional (VCAP), Certified Design Expert (VCDX), and the various Certified Implementation Expert and Solution Track variants — has been substantially restructured. Broadcom maintains the VCP tier as the core professional certification but has consolidated some of the specialty tracks. New unified VCP-VCF, VCP-Cloud Operations, and VCP-Cloud Networking certifications align with the Broadcom-era product structure.
Several pre-Broadcom certification tracks were retired entirely or merged into others. Specialist certifications around products that were divested or de-emphasised under Broadcom's strategy (parts of the End-User Computing portfolio, certain Tanzu-specific certifications) were either retired or moved to acquiring entities. Customers and consultants who held those legacy certifications retain them as historical credentials but cannot recertify on the same paths.
Authorised training centre changes
The VMware Authorised Training Centre programme was restructured under Broadcom's broader partner programme rebalancing. Many regional training providers lost authorised status during 2024–2025, particularly smaller and mid-market training firms. The remaining authorised providers are a smaller, more consolidated set, with fewer regional options for customers wanting in-person training.
Online and self-paced training has correspondingly become more prominent. Broadcom Software Education (the renamed VMware Learning programme) and a few major remaining authorised providers carry most of the official curriculum now. Third-party training (Pluralsight, A Cloud Guru / ACloudGuru, INE) continues to provide unofficial coverage of VMware topics.
Pricing increases
Official training pricing has risen substantially since the acquisition, both for instructor-led courses and for certification examinations. A multi-day instructor-led course that cost $3,500–$4,500 pre-acquisition now lists at $5,500–$7,000 from authorised providers. Exam fees rose moderately, though the largest cost impact has been on the courseware and on the bundled exam vouchers.
What still has clear value
Core VCP certifications
The professional-tier certifications (VCP-VCF, VCP-Cloud Operations, VCP-Cloud Networking) remain the most useful credentials for working professionals. They map directly to current Broadcom product realities, they are recognised by employers, and they validate practical skills that translate to operational outcomes. For practitioners working actively with VCF deployments, vSphere, vSAN, and NSX, the VCP track is well worth the investment.
Specialist advanced certifications where they survive
Where advanced certifications (VCAP-equivalent under the new branding) align with current Broadcom product strategy, they retain value for specialist roles. The advanced certifications are heavier investments — both in study time and in cost — but they materially differentiate practitioners in design and senior engineering roles. For VCDX (the design expert track), the credential remains exclusive and continues to carry significant weight in the field.
Cross-platform certifications
Certifications that span VMware plus another platform — particularly cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, GCP), Kubernetes (CKA, CKS), and infrastructure-as-code (Terraform, Ansible) — have become more valuable than single-vendor certifications. The reality of modern infrastructure work is multi-platform; certifications that recognise that breadth tend to age better than pure-VMware credentials.
What has lost value
Discontinued certifications
Certifications on retired or de-emphasised products (parts of the End-User Computing portfolio that were sold off, certain legacy networking and security certifications) no longer drive hiring decisions. Holding them is fine; investing in them now is not advisable. The market signals on which certifications are losing value tend to lag by 12–18 months; conservative investments stay close to current product strategy.
Hyper-specific product certifications
The very narrow product-specific certifications (a single component, a single integration) tend to age poorly because product strategy shifts. The broader VCP-VCF and platform-level certifications age better than narrow specialty ones.
What training is needed now
For organisations running VMware estates in 2026, the most operationally useful training investments are:
VCF operational skills. VCF deployment, lifecycle management, and day-2 operations are skills most teams need to develop. The platform automation, the bring-up process, and the SDDC Manager-based operating model are different enough from traditional vSphere to require focused training.
Migration tooling. Teams executing migrations off VMware — to Proxmox, Nutanix, Azure Stack HCI, or hyperscaler VMware services — need training on the target platforms. The training spend is best directed at the migration target rather than at deeper VMware expertise.
Audit and licence compliance. SAM and licence compliance skills have grown in importance as Broadcom audit activity has intensified. Training in software asset management, in entitlement reconciliation, and in audit defence preparation has shifted from optional to essential for licensing and procurement teams.
Cloud platform skills. Whether you are migrating off VMware or running VMware in hybrid mode with public clouds, cloud platform certifications (Azure Solutions Architect, AWS Solutions Architect, GCP Professional) have direct operational value.
Partner certification requirements
The Broadcom Partner Programme requires partners to maintain specific certification counts to retain their tier. The requirements have been raised since the partner programme rebrand, and the consolidation of partner tiers has effectively required some partners to invest substantially in certification just to retain existing status. For customers buying through partners, the partner's certified headcount is a useful proxy for their actual ability to deliver on Broadcom products.
Partners losing tier status during 2024–2025 typically were not failing on customer outcomes but failing on certification headcount and revenue targets simultaneously. When choosing partners, ask about certification depth and recency, not just tier badge — the tier badge alone can mask significant variation in actual capability.
The cost-benefit calculation for individual training
For individual practitioners deciding whether to pursue Broadcom VMware certifications, three questions help frame the decision:
Is your career direction VMware-focused? If you work primarily on VMware infrastructure and intend to continue, the core VCP certifications continue to add value. If your career is moving toward cloud-native, platform engineering, or alternative hypervisors, the marginal value of new VMware certifications is lower than equivalent investment in adjacent skills.
Does your employer reimburse? Many employers will reimburse VMware certifications because they support existing infrastructure investment. If reimbursement is available, the cost calculation changes significantly — the question becomes time investment rather than financial investment.
What is the durability horizon? A certification you complete in 2026 has maximum value through perhaps 2028–2029 before the underlying products evolve enough to require recertification. Plan certification investments on the assumption that they will need refresh within a few years.
Alternatives to formal certification
Formal Broadcom VMware certifications are one path to skill development; they are not the only one. Several alternatives provide comparable practical capability:
Vendor-neutral training providers. Pluralsight, A Cloud Guru, INE, and similar provide deep VMware content that is often more practically focused than official curriculum. They do not produce official certifications but they produce skills.
Hands-on labs. VMware Hands-on Labs (now Broadcom Hands-on Labs) provides free, self-paced lab environments for practising real product scenarios. For many engineers, this is more valuable than formal courseware for actually building working skills.
Open-source community. The VMware community (now operating partly under reduced visibility post-acquisition) continues to provide free content through blogs, conference talks, and community forums. The signal-to-noise ratio is good for self-directed learners.
Cross-training internal staff. Sometimes the highest-leverage investment is letting your existing senior staff train your junior staff systematically. This costs less than external training and produces team-specific knowledge transfer.
Where to invest in 2026
If your organisation has limited training budget to allocate, the priority order most enterprises find useful is:
- VCF operational training for the team that runs your production VMware estate — this directly affects platform stability and audit readiness
- SAM and licence compliance training for the team that owns Broadcom contract relationship — this directly affects financial outcomes
- Migration-target platform training for the team executing alternatives — this directly affects strategic optionality
- Cross-platform cloud certifications for senior engineers and architects — this directly affects long-term career and organisational adaptability
Investments below this list — narrow product certifications, legacy certification refresh, optional advanced certifications without clear application — have lower payoff than they once did and should be deprioritised.
Frequently asked questions
Do existing VMware certifications still count under Broadcom?
Yes. Pre-Broadcom certifications remain valid as historical credentials, and Broadcom has honoured the existing recertification paths for most tracks. Some specialty tracks were retired but the credentials already earned remain valid.
Is the VCDX still worth pursuing?
For people in the right role and stage of career, yes. The VCDX remains the most exclusive credential in the VMware ecosystem and continues to carry significant weight for senior architecture roles. The investment is heavy and the path is selective; for practitioners committed to deep VMware architecture work, it remains worthwhile.
What happened to certifications on VMware End-User Computing products?
The End-User Computing portfolio (Workspace ONE, Horizon, related products) was divested to KKR and operates separately. Certifications on those products are now handled by the new EUC entity, not by Broadcom. The certifications themselves still exist but are not Broadcom certifications anymore.
How quickly are official certifications updated for new product versions?
Generally within 6–12 months of major product releases. Customers and practitioners working with current product releases should expect some lag between product availability and certification curriculum updates.
Should I retake certifications that expire under the new programme structure?
It depends on your role and your employer's expectations. If your work depends on demonstrating current credentials and your employer values them, recertify. If your role does not depend on the formal credential and you have current operational skills, the recertification is optional. The credential signal value has diminished modestly under Broadcom's rebranding; the operational skill value has not changed.