Bernadette Connell - Reflections on training impact
Co-authors: E. Sanders, J. Galvez, M. Garbanzo, D. Souza, K.-A Caesar, S. Morris, M. Campos
Description: When the pandemic hit, our virtual monthly weather and climate Regional Focus Group Discussions thrived. It had not always been this way, there were many years when we struggled to attract new participants. When we offered virtual new topic sessions and workshops, the increased attendance surprised us. We are now in the post-pandemic phase and attendance for formal and informal virtual training remains high, maybe not as high as during the peak of the pandemic, although definitely higher than pre-pandemic. Why is this so, particularly for the informal sessions? In this story, we reflect on the content, the people, the growth of the WMO-CGMS VLab RFG over time, the importance of a welcoming environment, and plenty of patience. It will highlight small steps we took to improve training impact and potential ways we can demonstrate the impact.
Background Information on the Regional Focus Group
The WMO-CGMS Regional Focus Group (RFG) of the Americas and the Caribbean meets virtually for monthly weather and climate briefings. The sessions are bilingual, with discussion in both English and Spanish. We started in 2004 and are in our 20th year! A typical RFG session includes the use of satellite imagery and products for:
The following two resources provide additional information on the RFG sessions and how they have evolved over the years. The poster from 2021 is a great summary in an organized format. The publication goes into more depth for those who are interested.
WMO Global Campus Innovations Publication (Section 1.3), 2020:
- English: Enhancing long-term impacts of training through international collaboration: the case of the VLab Regional Focus Group of the Americas and Caribbean
- Español: Mejora en los impactos de largo plazo del entrenamiento por medio de la colaboración internacional: el caso del Grupo de Enfoque Regional del VLab de las Américas y el Caribe
2023 Update and Reflections on Training Impact
The WMO-CGMS VLab Strategy Initiatives include:
Formal training - CoE courses, regional workshops, themed events, internships, hackathons
Informal training - Regional Focus Groups
The following graphics highlight RFG session participation from March 2004 - March 2023 in two formats, by country and by individual attendance. We have found that RFG sessions connect the formal engagement activities and result in continuous learning.
Observed Benefits of RFG Sessions
- Increased country and individual participation = a community of practice that brings together diverse stakeholders.
- Over time, students and early career professionals move into forecaster, instructor/trainer, researcher, manager, and senior professional roles. They understand and promote that it takes a community to improve training impact.
- Colleagues and previous participants become facilitators and instructors for RFG sessions and other training initiatives.
The following two graphs show a quick view of participation in RFG sessions prior to, during and post pandemic. There are multiple reasons why we saw increased participation during the pandemic, especially for the special sessions and the switch virtual workshops. We had been working for years on how to connect virtually and as shown above, we had long term participants to collaborate with. We were a trusted group and we realized we were a community of practice. Following the pandemic (and we are still not quite back to normal), we continue to see increased RFG participation, particularly for 2023. This was mainly due to interest in the changing synoptic pattern relating to El Nino.
Have you led or experienced an RFG session?
The content of our sessions reflect requests and questions from trainees, organizations, and a survey. Our approach may not be the best approach for your organization or region. What is your experience? How is that similar to or different from this approach? What do you like? What would you like changed or adapted?
