The latest graduates of the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology were reminded about the weight attached “every forecast, advisory, watch [or] warning”.
Nine Senior Level Meteorological Technician (SLMT) students and four in the Operational Aeronautical Forecasting Course (OAFC) successfully completed the 18-month SLMT and two-month OAFC forecasting courses.
Previously known as the Class II Meteorological Technicians course, this year’s 24th SLMT class comprised graduates from Belize, Dominica, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, St Maarten, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The OAFC which has been successful in training university graduates produced highly skilled forecasters who are well-versed in theoretical aeronautical and operational procedures, with a focus on practical and operational applications, especially in, aeronautical meteorology, tropical weather analysis, and weather forecasting. OAFC graduates, like the SLMT graduates, are required to meet the recommended competency standards for all Aeronautical Forecasters as set by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
Most Improved Student Ainsworth Saddler receives his certificate of completion.
During the graduation ceremony held on Friday, July 14, featured speaker, Lyndon Alves, specialist meteorologist at the National Weather Watch Centre, Hydrometeorological Service of Guyana congratulated the graduates and emphasised the important role they will play in enhancing meteorological services and weather forecasting capabilities in the region.
A former graduate of the SLMT programme himself, Alves advised graduates that “on the (operational) desk, every forecast, advisory, watch, warning or report you do is a reflection of who you are as a person and a professional. Do your best with the available information and resources at the time.”
Head of the Meteorology Section at the CIMH, Kathy-Ann Caesar, also expressed her enthusiasm for the graduates’ accomplishments.
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“We are immensely proud of the dedication and hard work displayed by our SLMT and OAFC graduates. They have undergone rigorous training and have emerged as highly skilled and competent professionals in the field of meteorology. We are confident that the successful graduates will make significant contributions to the meteorological services in the Caribbean region and beyond,” she said.
The award for top student in the SLMT course went to Shemma Joseph of Saint Lucia and counterpart Ainsworth Saddler of Jamaica received the price for most improved student.
Brandon Miller of Barbados received the award for top student in the OAFC and Trecy Spencer-Lake of Antigua and Barbuda was recognised as the most improved student.
