What's New

ECO Canada is close to finalizing NOS for Meteorologists and Meteorological Technicians! This month, we held focus groups in the following cities to review and validate results of the Meteorological NOS Survey:

• Winnipeg, MB
• Toronto, ON 
• Ottawa, ON
• Victoria, BC –Online

Thank you to all of our focus group participants for donating your time so generously.

About the Project

ECO Canada, in collaboration with the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (CMOS) and Environment Canada, is setting the foundation for professional certification in the field of meteorology.

The objective of this project is to determine what nation-wide standards are applicable and unique to meteorological practitioners, and to better define environmental occupations within the field of meteorology. 

 
Project Details

Objectives

• Promote recognition for the qualifications of meteorological practitioners
• Guide the development of educational and training programs in the field
• Increase career awareness and opportunities for meteorological practitioners

The National Occupational Standards for Meteorology is in response to the recommendations of past studies conducted by ECO Canada. In 2005, the study Changing Climate: Canadian Meteorological Employment identified the need for meteorological certification given a lack of properly qualified practitioners at entry-level positions and a rising number of retirees in the sector. The Meteorological Certification Feasibility Study, conducted in 2007, confirmed this recommendation and revealed strong industry support for the development of a certification program.

Documenting competencies for meteorology is a necessary first step in providing a basis from which quality certification, that is reflective of industry needs, can be developed.
 

How to Get Involved

For further information on NOS for Meteorology please contact:

What are National Occupational Standards?

Occupational standards consist of the competencies required to perform work in a particular occupation. They are a set of statements describing the standard acceptable skills and knowledge requirements of professionals. National Occupational Standards are considered the benchmarks against which people of a particular occupation measure their level of performance and competency.

ECO Canada’s National Occupational Standards are compiled using a process that relies heavily on broad-based input from people working in environmental fields. Using this bottom-up approach in conjunction with the guidance of senior environmental experts, ECO Canada strives to ensure the standards are of high quality and relevance – creating an accurate depiction of current and emerging competencies in the many subsectors of environmental employment.
 

How are National Occupational Standards Used?

National Occupational Standards are comprised of a series of competency statements reflecting the skills and knowledge needed by professionals to work in their fields of employment. In addition to being used as a guide for hiring practices, occupational standards are used to inform employment models, to educate students about and to meet the standards of the profession, and to develop training curricula.

Most notably, the National Occupational Standards for Environmental Employment form the basis of the CCEP (Certified Canadian Environmental Practitioner) designation that is offered through ECO Canada’s Environmental Professional Certifications. For more information on certification, please visit certifications.