The ClimEd 4th Training on “Learning courses’ development in climate services considering needs of different users” took place in a hybrid mode during 6-10 May 2024. The ClimEd project trainings are focused on training the faculty/ teaching/ research staff and postgraduates at the ClimEd partner institutions and collaborating organizations in advanced educational and information-and-communication technologies for building a flexible multi-level integrated practice-based education system in the field of Climate Services, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation.

In total, 50 persons (including 36 females and 14 males; and 10 young teachers/researchers) were accepted to participate in this onsite/online (hybrid) training. These were from the Ukrainian ClimEd partners and other institutions such as the Odessa State Environmental University, Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture, O. Beketov National University of Urban Economy, Lviv Polytechnic National University, Bila Tserkva National Agrarian University, Odessa National Medical University, Institute of Marine Biology of the NAS of Ukraine (Odessa, Ukraine), National University Odessa Maritime Academy.

The training started with a series of lectures during 6-10 May 2024. The presented lectures covered the following topics/ blocks: Block I. Climate Datasets (Related to C1 and C2. Create and Manage Datasets and Derive Products from Climate Data); Block II. Gather information in Climate Dependent Sectors (Related to C2 and C3); Block III. Climate Products (Related to C5); Block IV, Climate services in Climate Dependent sectors; Block V. Group Reporting on Projects and awarding ceremony, and finally, the Introductions to Home-Work-Assignments (HWAs). All materials of the training (slides and videos of lectures, presentations of exercises and homework assignments as group projects, etc.) are now available at: http://climed.network/events/climed-trainings/climed-training-4/

All Groups got high scores, and, respectively, have been awarded the certificates and invited participants for the ClimEd 5th Training (expected in Autumn 2024 as onsite/online (hybrid) training in Estonia). It was stressed that participants of the training had obtained new basic knowledge and new and improved competencies in creating and managing climate datasets; deriving products from climate data; communicating climate information to users; creating and interpreting climate forecasts, climate projections, and model output; and skills identify different climate databases (ECAD, Copernicus, etc…) and retrieve data for geographical selection; calculating climate indices through Climpact or other tools for selected geographical feature; computation of co-created indices for the dependent sector and skills in group’s (as the team) developing and realizing research plan, and presenting research project results.

The introduction to Group Work as Small-Scale Research Projects (SSRPs) to be realized as group projects was given to participants on 6 May 2024. On 10 May 2024 (onsite) and 24 May (online), a series of short oral presentations about Group Project plans was delivered by each Group (named D1-D12). Each group realized work in Groups on projects as its projects. The main focuses for SSRPs were developing examples of practical exercises for identification and retrieval of Climate Data from different sources for point/city/region in Ukraine to develop further tasks for creating climate services for experts in water management, energy sectors, agriculture, construction and architecture, health-care experts, etc.

The e-evaluation of the ClimEd 4th Training was done using two questionnaires distributed among participants. Following the 1st questionnaire – (Evaluation of the Training) – about 94% of the participants estimated overall rating for this course as ”very good” and “good”; training materials were of excellent quality (97 %) and information about the training was sufficient (95%), and participants will recommend such training to colleagues (100%). Following the 2nd questionnaire – (Self-Evaluation of the Obtained Competencies and Skills) – about 95% of participants “fully agreed” and “mostly agreed” that they have obtained/ improved their competencies and got skills working as groups.

Special thanks to all lecturers of the training – Dr. Enric Aguilar; Dr. Jon Olano; Dra. Anna Boqué; Dr. Juan Antonio Duro; Dr. Òscar Saladié; Dr. Jose Manuel Giménez and Caterina Cimolai (from Universitat Rovira i Virgili from Spain); Dr. Kalev Sepp; Dr. Anton Shkaruba; Volha Kasakevich and Lagle Lõhmus (from Estonian University of Life Sciences, Estonia); Dr. Sergio Vicente and Dra. Inna Semenova (from Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología, Centro Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Spain); Dr. Federico Foria and Marianna Brichesse (ETS); Dr. Oleg Skrynyk (from Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Institute, Ukraine) – for their professionalism, enthusiasm, and commitment to the training; and TRV team – Dr. Enric Aguilar; Dr. Jon Olano; Dra. Anna Boqué – for excellent organization and warm atmosphere during the training. Thanks to the OSENU team members (Dr. Oleg Shabliy, Dr. Valeriya Ovcharuk, Dr. Inna Khomenko, and PhD Kateryna Husieva) for support with ClimEd relevant modules development; e-evaluations; continuous web-update of the training materials.

Text by: Valeriay Ovcharuk (OSENU)