Those promotion and raise promises are often not kept, so get them laid out in writing. If getting certified is part of your job then you should get paid for it in time and money.

At my last job I was asked to get a certain cert as one of my yearly goals. When I asked for time to study, I was told to do it on my own time. I said "If you want me to do this on my own time, clearly it is optional and I'm not doing it." and then I didn't.

In my case there was no raise to be had from doing it though, so it was easier to refuse. Good luck!

I hate the idea of "personal" time. It doesn't belong to my job by default. It's all my personal time. If they want any of it they will need to pay.

If your company, for which your boss is an agent and therefore part of, is ASKING YOU to get this cert, then the study is labor done as a part of you position. You need to be paid for this work.

If the company is only making it a prerequisite for advancement, and not asking you to get it per se, then reimbursement is reasonable.

If you happen to have a Union then check with them.

Based on what you said, these are not required for you to do your job, only for you to improve your position. It is not unreasonable for you to use personal time for self-improvement. It's also not unreasonable for you to use company downtime for self-improvement.

Had the same conversation with my boss, and I specifically asked him "Is this certificaton job related or is it just so someone can check a box on a spreadsheet somewhere? If it's job related, I'm absolutely down for it, what does the new role entitle and what's the increase in pay for it?"

Response? Silence.