The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES)

The ICES training Programme promotes ecosystem-based approaches and was initiated in 2009 to spread scientific knowledge and help build human capacity. Approximately 8 courses are offered throughout each year, on a range of topics, including fish stock assessment ecosystem modelling, model building, management strategy evaluation, Bayesian inference, integrated ecosystem assessment, analysis and visualization of Vessel Monitoring Systems, communication of science and advice, and how to lead an effective technical meeting. Each course is taught within the context of the ICES science and advisory system to demonstrate best practices as well as state‐of‐the‐art technical skills. Courses are selected annually, by a carefully selected training course committee. Courses are chosen on the basis of requests from the ICES community and ICES partner organizations. More than 700 students have attended ICES courses from over 30 countries. Most students have been from ICES member countries, but many non-ICES-member countries are also regularly represented, as well as participants from cooperating institutions, universities and organisations. In 2018 ICES will expand its human capacity building services thematically and geographically by organizing a series of training courses for the Large Marine Ecosystem practitioners under the GEF/UNDP ‘Strengthening Global Governance of Large Marine Ecosystems and Their Coasts through Enhanced Sharing and Application of LME/ICM/MPA Knowledge and Information Tools’ LME-LEARN project.