A recent research report by Foote Partners, a management consultancy firm, found that noncertified IT skills have been growing in value at a rate nearly two times that of certified skills. A new follow-up report looks at what happens next to vendors who rely on their certifications programs to gain mind share for their technologies and support sales of their products. While qualities such as industry knowledge and customer experience appear to be taking the lead, certifications haven't been going down without a fight. Instead, vendors have been banding together to <A HREF="http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1956636,00.asp?kc=ewnws050306dtx1k0000599">create new, master-level certifications</A> that are vendor-independent, technology-neutral in focus, and available to any person who can qualify.