Qualifications and certifications can certainly help but in my opinion if I had to choose between someone with qualifications/certification and someone with a good few years experience then I would always go with the experienced guys.
Certification can only take you so far, I don't think there is any substition for the real experience of having been there and done it..
Plus there is nowhere on the exam that prepares you for some dimwitted cowboy electrician pulling plugs out of and E4500 whilst trying to remove cabling from a server room just as your about to go home...