Newly qualified weather observers join Met services |02 October 2014

Six newly qualified weather observers have joined the Seychelles National Meteorological Services (SNMS) after completing their training at the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) Regional Training Centre (RTC) in Nairobi, Kenya.

While welcoming the group, Wills Agricole, principal secretary in the Ministry of Environment & Energy and the permanent representative of Seychelles to WMO, said that the young recruits will contribute to the ever expanding services provided by the Met Office.

The six trainees have successfully completed a three-month specialised aeronautical meteorological observation course (Samoc) with credits and distinction as prescribed by WMO and IMTR/WMO-RTC in Nairobi, Kenya.  

PS Agricole said that the group have demonstrated their competence in aeronautical meteorological observations at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, adding that the course enhances the trainees’ skills in the use of aviation specific codes and practices and broadens their knowledge in diagnosing and forecasting aviation specific phenomena.

The SNMS at the Pointe Larue airport started recruiting new trainee staff in October 2012. A total of nine new recruits have now joined the Met services. The first batch of three were given similar training and qualified as weather observers in 2013.

This latest group of six who have just completed training comprise George Uzice, Aubrey Bastienne, Sheryn Mondon, Linne Freminot, Sheeran Dubel and Marie Diallo. They were recruited between October 2013 and April 2014.

After successfully completing their local training and validation exercise at the SNMS in May 2014, the group of six left Seychelles in June 2014 to attend the course in Nairobi.

The training institution in Nairobi is a major branch of the Kenya Meteorological Department and it is generally referred to as the Institute for Meteorological Training and Research (IMTR). IMTR is regarded as a ‘Centre of Excellence’ specialised in training meteorology, hydrology, applied meteorology and related geosciences for the Anglophone Africa.

Now that they are back, the six qualified weather observers will undergo a validation exercise, and later be incorporated in the operations of the SNMS, thus enabling the organisation to move closer to ISO 9001:2008 certifications ensuring safety and security of passengers and aircraft as per international conventions, such as the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and WMO. In 2015 the group is expected to further their training to become future meteorologists.