Guidelines for Accreditation of Consultants by CMOS
General
1. The application of meteorological and oceanographic knowledge in the private sector rests largely with consultants who contract with clients to provide expertise which the client does not possess. The accreditation of consultants by a peer review committee has been established to ensure that a basic level of qualifications has been achieved and recognized in meteorology or in oceanography. It does not assess or guarantee the quality of work which could be performed by any particular accredited consultant.
2. Accreditation will be on a calendar-year basis. An accreditation document will be issued upon approval by the Accreditation Committee, and the applicant's name will be published in a CMOS Directory of Consultants or at least once per year in the Annual Review. Accredited consultants may use one of the following abbreviations as and where appropriate: ACM - Accredited Consultant Meteorologist; ACO - Accredited Consultant Oceanographer; (en français : MCA - Météorologue consultant agrée; OCA - Océanographe consultant agrée). Accreditation will be valid from the date of approval for the current calendar year; if approved after October 1, it will also be valid for the following calendar year. The accreditation may be renewed annually thereafter provided a consultant continues to meet the accreditation criteria.
3. If the application is rejected by the Committee, the applicant has thirty days to appeal the decision to the CMOS Council which can rule on the case. The applicant will have the right to appear in person before the Council.
4. The accreditation may be withdrawn for cause, for example if, in the opinion of the CMOS Accreditation Committee, a consultant has provided false information in the application. Withdrawal of an accreditation may also be appealed to the CMOS Council. Any member of the CMOS Council required to decide on an appeal under these Guidelines, and who was a member of the relevant Accreditation Committee, shall not be involved in any way in that appeal process.
Criteria
1. The following are the set of requirements for accreditation:
1.1. The applicant must possess an appropriate undergraduate degree from a recognized university;
1.2. The applicant must possess at least one of the following types of specialized training:
1.2.1 post-graduate degree from a recognized university in meteorology or oceanography; and / or
1.2.2 post-graduate degree from a recognized university in the natural or applied sciences or mathematics, specializing in one or more branches of meteorology or oceanography; or
1.2.3. three years of on-the-job meteorological or oceanographic experience.
1.3. Upon completion of the above educational and training requirements, the applicant must have spent at least two years of satisfactory performance, at the working level, in the fields of specialization included in this document. This should include at least some consulting experience.
2. Exceptions to the above criteria will be considered by the Accreditation Committee in unusual circumstances.
Application Form
1. The purpose of the application form is to allow the Accreditation Committee to determine whether the minimum requirements have been met. An applicant may be required to attend an interview for further clarification of qualifications. The applicant will normally be notified whether or not the requirements have been met within three months of receipt of the application form.
2. Certified copies of all relevant degrees and diplomas should accompany the application. In addition, a letter of reference is normally required from the supervisor of the advanced degree or of the job-related training, pointing out the areas of specialization.
3. The section on related work experience should provide information on the technical nature of the assignments, the nature of involvement of the applicant, the degree of personal responsibility for project decision-making, and the complexity and diversity of the work.
4. The applicant must submit written substantiation of recent professional work in the fields of meteorology and oceanography. For example, a maximum of five of the applicant's most recently published papers, project reports, or other written documentation relevant to his or her field of practice should be listed. A copy of one of the above should be included with the application.
5. It is recognized that in certain situations, some of the work undertaken may be considered confidential. In such cases, applicants are encouraged to refer to non-confidential work. However, if only confidential work provides examples of the type of work done, the Accreditation Committee may consult the appropriate clients involved. Should an applicant provide confidential material with the application, the original will be returned and all copies will be destroyed following the Committee's review.
6. Memberships in appropriate professional or technical associations or societies should be given and participation on committees relevant to the specialization should be noted. Special awards, patents or other forms of recognition in meteorology or oceanography should also be included.
7. Two references from individuals for whom the applicant has provided satisfactory meteorological or oceanographic services within the past five years should be provided.
8. At the time of initial application, the applicant may choose up to five categories as listed with the application form. The areas of specialization are listed following the Application Form. CMOS Accredited Consultants may change their areas of expertise by sending a letter to CMOS requesting the change in the areas of specialization. The letter should include supporting documentation for the new fields of specialization - (University Degree, relevant training courses, new qualifications and/or references). The request will be reviewed by the Accreditation Committee and, if approved, the Consultant will receive a new letter of Accreditation. Fee for the re-review will be $115.00.
9. Notes and Suggestions to Applicants
In the course of reviewing applications, the Accreditation Committee has identified a few areas where the applicant's perception of the questions differs from that intended by the Committee. In an endeavour to streamline the review process and to ensure consistency in application, the Committee wishes to bring the following points to the attention of future candidates:
9.1. Answers to the questions must be given on the form (appending pages when necessary). While a resumé or curriculum vitae may be appended to the package if desired, it is important that the applicant extract from such resumé the information considered the most relevant to accreditation and not leave that task to reviewers.
9.2. The general work record should be outlined in question 3, leaving for question 4 specific details on recent undertakings by the applicant.
9.3. The criteria call for identification of actual consulting activity, if any, this information can be given in question 3 if the involvement was insufficiently extensive with any one client to warrant inclusion in question 4.
9.4. In question 4, the candidate should describe his or her role in any large undertaking (e. g. as project leader, one of a team, etc.).
9.5. The list of areas of specialization that applies to question 7 is used to guide the Accreditation Committee in assigning appropriate reviewer(s). The applicant may choose up to five categories.
9.6. The declaration authorizes the Accreditation Committee to contact employers and professional references (question 6) for purposes of confirming the information provided. The Committee assumes that it may contact any persons identified in the application form (e.g. any clients named in response to question 4) unless the applicant specifically requests otherwise.
Fees
1. A fee of $250.00 in the form of a cheque, made out to the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society, should be included with the application form.
2. A refund of $125.00 will be made if the application is unsuccessful.
3. Renewal notification will be sent to accredited consultants at the end of each calendar year.
4. The annual renewal fee shall be $100.00 for CMOS members and $195.00 for non-members.
5. If an individual fails to renew accreditation during the calendar year following the year of expiration, complete reapplication for accreditation will be necessary.
6. Go to: Application Form (fillable pdf form)