"ITIL is different because certification is not about specific job related skills. It doesn't mean you know how to program or that you know anything about infrastructure. Instead, at the Foundation level, it says that you've learned a common vocabulary and varying levels of application to a service lifecycle. At the intermediate, or Lifecycle level, the certifications indicate the candidate knows what and why, and Capability certifications indicate the candidate knows when and how. "

Read the full column by Davis Moskowitz at ITSMWatch.