Experience in relevant training an advantage Good knowledge of sites in relevant countries an advantage
Excellent personal organizational skills Strong team working skills
5 years ield experience in protected area
management, particularly MPAs.
Certiication as a MPA PRO a distinct
advantage
4 years of experience in monitoring and
evaluation in a related ield
2 years of experience in assessment processes
an advantageall assessors receive in-
depth training in the WIO-COMPAS Level 1
assessment processes
Fluency in local languagesdialects
not required, but an advantage
10 years ield experience in protected area management,
particularly MPAs Certiication as a MPA PRO
a distinct advantage
5 years of experience in monitoring and evaluation
in a related ield
3 years of experience in assessment procedures an
advantage all assessors receive in-depth training in
the WIO-COMPAS Level 2 assessment process
Fluency in oficial languages of the countries
concerned • Comprises 4 individuals combining the
following experienceexpertise: • At least10 years ield experience in marine
protected area establishment and management, including with suites or networks of MPAs
• Post-graduate qualiication in marine sciences i.e. ecology, isheries, oceanography etc.
• At least 4 years of experience of regional and international marine policy and legislation
• 5 years of experience in monitoring and evaluation in a related ield
• 5 years of experience in high-level workplace skills assessment processes. One member of
the panel must have such experience and the other members are trained in conducting the
WIO-COMPAS Level 3 assessment process
• Fluency in English
Level 1 Assessors Level 2 Assessors
Level 3 Assessment Panel
17
© WIOMSA
Our initial WIO-COMPAS Assessors in Training, Nairobi, 2009.
Level 1 Certiication focuses on the practical tasks of everyday MPA ield operations. This is usually associated with the work of rangers and community oficers. A detailed description of the type of MPA professionals
eligible for Level 1 certiication is summarized in Section 1. Level 1 Certiications are offered on a national or sub-national basis to relect language and travel cost issues.
4.1 Process
The process of being certiied at Level 1 should take less than six months from application to certiication. Those enrolled in a certiication offering will invest
approximately two-three weeks of dedicated time overall. Figure 4 outlines the steps in the Level 1 certiication process.
1. Application - Signiicant attention and time is dedicated to the
application phase. This is to ensure that the applicant has the depth of experience related to the competences. Applicants must get their
supervisors to sign the application to conirm the accuracy of the applicants experience and the support of the MPA for the applicant to
participate in the Assessment Event and be granted time off from work.
2. Pre Event Tasks - Candidates must produce their Core Activities
Document, a related presentation and portfolio before attending the four-day Assessment Event.
3. Assessment Event 4 days - Most of the assessment scoring is done
at the Assessment Event. In addition to assessing candidates, the WIO-COMPAS mission is to provide professional development,
opportunities for networking and a commitment to ethical standards. These sessions are not part of the scoring process. Local guest speakers
are invited to the Assessment Event to discuss emerging issues related
to MPAs or improved practices related to speciic competences.
4.2 Competences
Level 1 Certiication has 41competences and standards across the seven core competence areas. This number of competences relects the broad
skills necessary to be an MPA professional. The competence focus is on practical ield operations. There is some overlap with Level 2
competences though the standards for Level 1 are often at a more basic level of understanding or ability.
Candidates are expected to have competence across all seven core competence areas, though not necessarily every competence and standard. Refer to the scoring method in Section 2 for details. The full list of competences
and standards are in appendix C.
4.3 Assessment Instruments
A set of seven assessment instruments are used in Level 1: 1. Application
2. Description of Core Activities Document 3. Presentation of one Core Activity
4. Portfolio 5. Quiz
6. Beach and where possible boat patrols. Possibly simulations
7. Face-to-Face Interview
18
Figure 4. Process for Level 1 Certiication.
L 102 candidates complete their written exercise. © WIOMSA
A description of the type of MPA professional eligible for Level 2 certiication is summarized in Section 1. Level 2 is focused on site management and supervisory skills.
5.1 Process
