Software companies wanting to promote their productivity tools and educational institutions in need of staff development offer each other some great opportunities. Tools that I know how to use or have an inexpensive way to learn how to use are more attractive to me. If I am aware of the opportunity, this would provide companies willing to provide me free or inexpensive training a great marketing opportunity. While some skills I would learn could be applied with similar tools, certain skills would not. All things being equal (e.g., price), I would probably also be fairly loyal to a company that was supportive of my development.
I happen to be a fan of Adobe GoLive (web authoring tool) and Adobe makes an attempt to use this approach. Check out Adobe’s online tutorials for educators and the program for high school students.