Welcome!

There has been rapid growth in recent years in operational oceanographic activities, especially in association with the growth in ocean observing systems (OOS). At the same time, the attention given by the public to ocean issues has greatly increased. These factors indicate that the need for certification of oceanographic professionals may also be increasing (e.g. in association with coastal development, natural disasters, ocean pollution, declining fish stocks).

Do we need certification?

Certification is a way to recognize that an individual has demonstrated professional competence and integrity in an occupational field. In this project, we are assessing the need for a certification program for oceanographic professionals (CPOP).

	Scientist preparing SONAR equipment.

Currently, only a very small fraction of what oceanographic professionals do is covered by existing certification programs (e.g., certifications in the ocean related aspects of meteorology, fisheries, engineering, hydrography, and ecology). Examples of ocean related professions for which certification may be useful include those that apply advanced technologies (e.g., underwater vehicles, remote sensing, data management, geographic information systems) and those in which scientific information and products are being translated and transitioned to operational use (e.g., to use in monitoring and managing the ocean environment).

We plan to address the needs for a CPOP from the perspectives of oceanographic professionals working in a wide variety of capacities, including research and operational occupations. We will address issues related to the diversity of disciplines and technologies within ocean science, the different levels of expertise of oceanographic professionals, the different types of employers, and the different users of oceanographic products and services. The overall goal of this project is to collect and analyze data, report our analysis results, and make recommendations to the oceanographic community in order to:

• improve ocean-related education
• enhance professional development for ocean professionals
• help meet national ocean-related workforce needs
• assist users of oceanographic products and services in making well-informed decisions