Mind the Gap

Why a Workshop?

Weather, water, and climate impact nearly every sector of the economy and nearly every citizen of the United States. In an effort to meet the changing needs and concerns of all sectors in the Weather, Water, and Climate Enterprise, synergistic linkages between government entities, private sector organizations, and universities have developed and grown over the last several decades.

Recent analyses suggest that jobs in atmospheric science will grow at a faster rate than the average for all occupations between 2016–2026 (e.g., Bureau of Labor Statistics 2016). More specifically, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2016) job outlook for atmospheric scientists highlights that the “best job prospects for meteorologists are expected to be in private industry.”

To address the expanding reach of atmospheric sciences, current American Meteorologicial Society guidelines on a Bachelor's Degree in Atmospheric Science, lists among other things, software development experience, enrollment in business courses, and exposure to data analytics and machine learning, as relevant educational pursuits that better prepare students for successful private sector careers.

In recent years, the changing private sector landscape in atmospheric sciences has exposed existing gaps in the education and preparation of the atmospheric science workforce and the skillsets needed for private sector employment. Students and faculty from a variety of meteorology programs have expressed that there is a lack of awareness regarding existing private sector career opportunities and the requisite skillsets to pursue those careers.

How can academic departments and programs work with the private sector to better prepare students for the wide ranging career opportunities in atmospheric science? This workshop is organized around finding answers to this question.

Workshop Goals

The Mind the Gap workshop is bringing together represetatives from the Private Sector & Academia to:

1. Identify curriculum gaps and challenges linked to a lack of preparation for students pursuing careers in the private sector.
2. Discuss these gaps and challenges, propose creative solutions for academic & private sectors.
3. Create sets of recommendations for programs to address these gaps and challenges.
4. Create sets of recommendations for private sector partners to take a more active roll in addressing skill gaps and challenges.
5. Lay the groundwork for future opportunities for collaboration between private sector and academia that includes students.

Workshop Logistics

NCAR has provided information for workshop participants on their webpage

Please visit Mind the Gap Logistics for details

Workshop Schedule

Wednesday, July 10, begin at 9:00 AM

• Welcome, Icebreaker
• Objectives, Process, Goals
• Working Lunch—Group Building
• Private Sector Panel
• Academic Sector Panel
• Sector Small Groups—Define Issues
• Evening Reception

Thursday, July 11, begin at 8:30 AM

• Joint Private-Academic Panel
• Keynote Speaker
• Working Lunch—Joint Sector Small Group
• Identifying Themes and Priorities—Full Group
• Recommendations—Small Groups

Friday, July 12, begin at 8:30 AM

• Small Group Reports
• Large Group Synthesis
• Action Items and Planning
• End by lunchtime (noon)

Useful Links

The Mind the Gap Workshop will rely on domain expertise of the participants, though it is alway useful to catch up on practices outside of your domain. The following are relevant links for workshop participants

Links of interest:

• Information Statement of the American Meteorological Society, Bachelor's Degree in Atmospheric Science
• US Gov Requirements for Meteorologists
• World Meteorological Organization (WMO) standards for education and training to become a WMO meteorologist
• AMS Financial Weather and Climate Risk Management Committee and the Board of Private Sector Meteorologists document on "Non-Meteorological Subsect Areas and Coursework to Prepare Students for Employment in the Private Sector"
• NCAR SOARS presentation on "The gap between graduates' skills and employers' expectations" by V. Sloan
• From the 2014 AMS/AGU Heads and Chairs meeting, panel discussion on "Job market trends and exploring the gaps between the skills of our graduates and employers' expectations." by J. Knox