1. WMO Job Competencies Strategy
WMO; Education and Training Programme

2. Responses to ETR Office survey
WMO
Regional Response
Total Members in Region
Number of Responses
“Development Status” in Region (number of responses in (brackets)) A B C
RA I 53 16
46 (12)
6 (3)
1 (1)
RA II 36 15
18 (3)
8 (5)
10 (7)
RA III 12 7
4 (1)
3 (2)
5 (4)
RA IV 23
13 (8)
7 (3)
RA V 21 13
14 (7)
2 (1)
5 (5)
RA VI 46 39
9 (6)
14 (11)
23 (5)
Non Member 2
 Totals
193
104

3. Overall staff numbers WMO
Estimate total global NMHS workforce to be of the order of 200,000 to 220,000
Numbers of Members with staffing of
Number A B C
Less than 4 1
Between 4 and 7
Between 8 and 15 3
Between 16 and 31 7 6
Between 32 and 63 4
Between 64 and 127 14 10 2
Between 128 and 255 18 5
Between 256 and 511 23 9
Between 512 and 1023
Between 1024 and 2047 13 11
Between 2048 and 4195
Between 4196 and 8391
More than 8392
Total number of Responses
104 38 25 41

4. Staffing Profiles WMO Reported staff numbers Organisation entity
Professional
Technical
Other
Total
Weather Services
27574
9072
8645
45291
Climate Services
3106
1140
316
4562
Hydrological Services
1989
1351
1605
4945
Observations
17156
7684
4399
29239
Communications and Computing
6623
1880
1430
9933
Administration and Management
19025
2755
7556
29336
Oceanography (not asked) 99
110
209
Agrometeorology (not asked)
200
120 20
340
Research (not asked)
1756 89
157
2002
Training
1009
192
451
1652
Environmental monitoring
1531
871
1988
4390
Other support functions
3971
2121
5121
11213
Equipment Maintenance and Installation
2235
1336
666
4237
86,274
28,611
32,464
147349
Total staff over all categories *
147,349

5. WMO context
WMO Congress Cg-16 (2011) recommended that all technical commissions make definition of competency standards a high priority
At global level, best not to link capability to perform job tasks to a qualification or classification
Members run their services differently
Allows members to set their own formal academic qualifications
Competencies provide high level “standard” descriptions of job tasks
Minimum level of knowledge, skills and behaviors
Members can then adapt to suit national requirements

6. What are Competencies? Focus on the key aspects of job tasks
Exist alongside defined work processes and procedures
Can be observed
Are ongoing and evolve only slowly
Are the responsibility of the service area (PWS, Marine, Aeronautical …) to define, not the training area
WMO

7. Related concepts (but not job competencies)
Transferable skills. General communicating, presenting, motivating, project management, leadership, facilitating, managing conflict, coaching, mentoring and relationship-building, etc.
Professional standards. Comply with ethical and professional standards and maintain professional credibility and demeanour.

8. Classifications (also not competencies)
Meteorologist/Meteorological Technician or other national designation
Determined by qualifications (not competencies)
Usually linked to pay grades or scales
Are usually achieved early in career
Do not directly relate to the work tasks
An individual could be qualified to meet a classification (i.e., they have a degree) but not be competent to carry out job tasks

9. How do competencies fit?
Requirements flow
Organizational goals
Organizational Resources
Job competencies
Training needs
Training delivery
Increased workforce capability

10. Responsible bodies
Technical Commisions responsible for developing qualifications and competencies in their domains of expertise (Cg-16)
Technical Commissions
Technical Programmes
CBS
All programmes under WWW Active areas are WIS, PWS, and Tropical Cyclones)
CAeM
Aeronautical meteorology
CHy
Hydrology and water resources
CCL
Climate
CIMO
Observations
CAgM
Agricultural meteorology
JCOMM
Marine and oceanography
ETR Panel: Competencies for training providers. Also coordinates across TPs to develop competencies. EC Panel reviews.
See updates at (under Training Activities)

11. Standards and Recommended Practises
Standards – must comply
Aeronautical Meteorological Forecasters and Observers –
competencies 1 December 2013
qualifications (AMF only) 1 December 2016
Recommended practises – should comply
Trainers
General Forecaster other PWS competencies – to be discussed at CBS in September
Marine meteorology competencies to be discussed at JCOMM MG
Climate service provider competencies at CCl in July

12. Documentation Regulations Manual / Guides
WMO Technical Regulations WMO – No. 49 Vol I
Part II Chapter 4 Definition of BIP-M/MT
WMO-No BIP-M
Part II Chapter 5 Competencies
AMF / AMO
Trainers
New publication to come on competency development and assment
Material on CAeM website
Trainer publication

13. Organizational versus individual competencies
Governments pay for organization competencies: capabilities of the organization as a whole to carry out its mission
NMHSs determine their work forces
Either everyone can do everything,
Or teams are built so that the they collectively meet the competencies.

14. Competency statement format (based on CAeM competencies)
General considerations. Conditions that apply to all competencies in the job area.
Competency statement. Concise statement of the job responsibility in terms of a broad outcome, written as job actions.
Competency description. Provides a more detailed description of the competency statement, stating the key components of the job responsibility.
Performance criteria. Describe the expected characteristics of successful performance—not measures of success.
Knowledge and skill requirements. Describe the facts, concepts and principles required to perform the competency effectively.

15. PWS competencies
In 2010, CBS took action to develop competencies in PWS and for client relations.
General forecasting competencies will be the foundation for each of the specialist areas.
EC Panel Members have already provided comments and feedback to the PWS OPAG.
Earlier versions have been circulated to the ETR community, Gerald Flemming from Ireland leading the coordination of the PWS competency development
Discussed during SYMET 2013

16. Top level PWS competency statements
1. Analyse and continually monitor the evolving meteorological and/or hydrological situation;
2. Interpret observational and model data to forecast meteorological and hydrological phenomena and parameters;
3 Develop forecast products and warnings of hazardous and high-impact phenomena;
4 Ensure the quality of meteorological and hydrological information, systems and services;
5 Effectively communicate meteorological and hydrological information, together with associated uncertainties where appropriate, to internal and external users.

17. PWS - General Considerations
FUNDAMENTAL wmo/pws Competency Requirements for a Weather Forecaster
The competency requirements for the work of an operational forecaster can be divided into five top level competency areas. Taking into consideration the following:
The nationally-defined PWS areas of responsibility;
meteorological and hydrological impacts on society; and,
meteorological and hydrological user requirements, local procedures and priorities,
a PWS Weather Forecaster should have successfully completed the BIP-M1(as defined in the revised WMO-No 49, Volume I), and, in taking into account conditions a to c, should be able to perform the work indicated in the five top level competencies below:
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18. PWS – Competency statement and description
Analyse and continually monitor the evolving meteorological and hydrological situation
Analyse and interpret all available data to correctly identify weather features relevant to (or, likely to be relevant to) the area of forecast responsibility;
1.1 Background knowledge and skills 
Applies the theory, methods and practices of meteorological and/or hydrological analysis and diagnosis;
Shows the ability to visualize/conceptualize meteorological and/or hydrological information in multiple dimensions (spatial, temporal);

19. Tailoring WMO competencies to national level
WMO Tech Regs WMO-No. 49
High level statements
Second level statements from WMO guides or websites
Amplify
Adaption to national level by met service provider
Adapt and enhance

20. Process recommendations
High level competency to be approved by appropriate TC after widespread discussion, including within the ETR community
Suggest second level descriptions that elaborate on the top level competencies as guides
Members to adapt the second level competencies to their own circumstances
Under QMS Members should document how their versions of competencies link back to the master set and why they have made changes

21. Thank you for your attention
Jeff Wilson, Director, Education and Training Programme
Patrick Parrish, Chief of Training Activities