The ability of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) to develop and deliver relevant information and services to national, regional and international stakeholders depends on two factors: the expertise of their staff and access to technology. Identifying expertise gaps and finding training solutions that will up the skill level of staff and thus broaden the scope of services available at NMHSs is a fundamental task of WMO. The Consortium of WMO Education and Training Collaborating Partners (CONECT), which met for the first time between 17 and 19 April, is an initiative partly under the WMO Global Campus, which addresses such needs.
The WMO Global Campus, which was endorsed by the WMO Executive Council in 2018, complements the WMO Regional Training Centres (RTCs) and other institutions that provide education and training to NMHSs. The Global Campus has networked disparate training institutions together to share educational resources and knowledge. NMHSs can contribute to and benefit from the Global Campus, where they can access education and training opportunities and resources that are not available nationally. The goal of CONECT is to minimize duplication, complement efforts, maximize impacts and enhance the cost-effective use of educative resources.
The first CONECT meeting attracted over 110 education and training representatives from a diverse array of institutions – service providers, operational training centres, universities, etc. This demonstrated the potential for collaboration and the eagerness for increased communication between training partners. The meeting elected Dr Winifred Jordaan (South Africa) as the chair of CONECT Management Group and two vice-chairs: Mr Steve Callaghan (United Kingdom) and Dr Vagner Anabor (Brazil).
