VCP is considered an entry level in to the VMWare world, but does leave you with a very good grounding in being able to do everything that a non VMware focussed tech would need to do.
The course is 5 days long and is run all the time all over the world. You cannot be VCP certified though if you haven't done the course but just skip to the exam.
If you wanted to save on course costs and just get them a good understanding of the product then I would suggest getting a Safari Books Online subscription, along with setting up a test lab. It works out for us to be about $45 a month for the subscription, but the amount that we use it means that the savings and learning advantages are well worth it.