Young Bermudians working in ocean-related fields are being invited to come together under a programme launched by the United Nations.

The Early Career Ocean Professionals Programme, established as part of the UN Decade for Sustainable Ocean Development, is intended to help young people working with the ocean to share their experiences and challenges.

Ali Hochberg, the Bermuda national co-ordinator for the ECOP programme, said the programme embraces those who are early in their career in a wide variety of ocean-related professions.

Ms Hochberg said: “This definition includes Bermudians working in traditional ocean science fields, formal/informal ocean and atmospheric education, maritime and related ocean industries, blue economy fields, climate risk and finance and even re/insurance as aspects of those fields relate closely to climate adaptation, coastal resilience and disaster preparedness, response and mitigation in the face of a changing global ocean and climate.

“So this includes a lot of our youth, especially as we have students that have gone through the Endeavour Maritime Career Springboard Programme, the Bermuda Institute for Ocean Sciences’ Bermuda Programme, the volunteer/internship programmes at Bermuda Zoological Society, and not to mention all of the scholarships for students that have gone on to major in ocean-related fields.

“One of the great things about the ECOP programme is that nodes exist not just throughout the wider Caribbean region, but around the world, offering ECOPs a way to connect with each other, share experiences and challenges, and form a network of the next generation of global change makers.”

Ms Hochberg said she was looking for Bermudian ECOPs to sign up for the programme’s monthly newsletter, which highlights work being done across the globe, funding and professional development and mentorship opportunities, upcoming conferences and more.

“The only requirement is that ECOPs be Bermudian and within ten years of beginning their career,” she said.

“We have a wealth of ECOPs to help build capacity in Bermuda, and I'd love to see our island celebrated for our collective commitment to ocean science, atmospheric and climate risk education.”

Ms Hochberg added that she hoped to launch a Bermuda ECOP website soon, along with a Bermuda-specific survey for ECOPS to identify the challenges they have faced in their education and career development.

Those who are interested in signing up for the newsletter can do so online.