There are a lot of community colleges that offer cheap training through the IT Academy program, and as was mentioned you can do the NSX certification if you have a Cisco certification but there is no free way as they all have a cost and vmware like it that way it seems.
Totally agree with Scott on recommending the beta training classes. They are "in development" in terms of courseware and lab status but they are typically run by the most senior instructors and tend to attract more skilled students as well which makes for a good mix.
May I also recommend the VMUG advantage. The $200 membership fee comes with significant discounts on training so it could easily pay for itself.
I’ve never heard of OpenClass so while they may provide vmware training, it won’t count towards the VCP prerequisite and theres no guarantee it’ll even help to get you exam ready
As with all things, look into the lecturer and the organisation to make up your own mind whether they’re people you want to trust to teach you.
I have found out that VMware hands on lab is a great place to try things out and learn, with the combination of other sites that other members have provided.
We have been using the VMware Academy program for a few years. It's a great program if you can find a school who participates, but it still won't get you a free class.
Unfortunately you will need to take the class in order to gain the vcp cert. However there are tons of resources that will give you the skills and confidence for this.
a few have been mentioned already but my list is:
1. VMware academy - if you qualify
2. VMware Hand on Labs
3. Udemy - you can find free courses or discounted training
4. Pluralsight - usually take advantage of the free weekends
5. If you are looking at the Tanzu space there is the VMware Tanzu Education website.
