I found this article, The Downside of Certification, over on Slashdot. Its about time that people stop looking at how many pieces of paper one has and instead on what they can actually DO. Certification programs have always bothered me because of the implication that if you have the certification you are more qualified than someone who has been doing the job for years. Glad to see people are wising up a bit.
Bieber Labs
Bieber Labs 
In principle, I agree with the article and your sentiments about hiring qualified people rather than folks with ‘pieces of paper’. Too many times, people have these ‘pieces of paper’ when they get hired for jobs, they’re called Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorate degrees. Are they any different from certifications? As my dad always told me, they’re just there to let people know you’re trainable. 🙂