Question: I'm new to C++ and am wondering how much time I should invest in learning how to implement template classes. Are they widely used in industry, or is this something I should move through quickly?

Answer: 
You cant go far without mastering templates in C++ if your writing code on windows. ATL, STL and various other windows libraries heavily use templates.

Side note\*. If your using visual studio , you might want to learn the quirks which are used in visual studio to support templates. For example , many windows libraries often declare their entire contents in header files to work around linker bugs. Its annoying, but this limitation often is a stumbling block for newbie's learning C++ using visual studio.
I'd say understanding templates is a requirement for modern C++ style and idioms and getting the most out of the language. They aren't as difficult as one is often made to believe. If you are a beginner I'd absolutely recommend a book like [Accelerated C++](http://www.buschnick.net/Book_Reviews/About.shtml#Accelerated%20C++) which offers a very gentle and natural introduction to templates.