Ocean governance training applications open
Applications are open for training opportunities in climate change finance for early-career Bermudians.
Ocean Finance Education Lab, formerly named Young Leaders in Ocean Governance, is returning for a second year after a successful pilot in 2025.
The ten-week, cohort-based programme is designed for anyone wishing to understand how climate finance, blue economy careers and global ocean governance interconnect, and how a small island like Bermuda can help to shape the conversation.
The 2026 course will open with a keynote welcome from Michel Jarraud, a secretary-general emeritus of the United Nations World Meteorological Organisation. The launch is set for June 29 at a location to be confirmed.
Mr Jarraud led the WMO for 12 years to 2015, a tenure widely credited with elevating climate change from a peripheral scientific concern to a top global priority, and establishing the organisation as the definitive UN voice on weather, climate and water.
Under his leadership, the WMO launched the Global Framework for Climate Services, which helps developing and island nations turn complex climate science into practical data for agriculture, health, energy and disaster preparedness, and strengthened the early warning systems that have reduced casualties from extreme weather worldwide.
He also headed UN-Water from 2012 to 2016 and, earlier in his career, helped to pioneer the numerical weather-prediction methods that underpin modern forecasting.
A spokeswoman for the lab said: “Mr Jarraud will speak virtually to the importance of climate finance through a lens curated specifically to the island, a fitting opening for a programme that treats Bermuda as a working case study in how local ecosystems meet global policy and capital.”
The 2025 pilot paired rigorous coursework with field-based learning across the island's reef and fisheries systems, and received overwhelmingly positive feedback in a post-course survey.
Zorena Anderson, who took part as an intern at Axa XL, said: “This experience was so insightful and allowed me to combine my love of the financial industry with protecting our oceans.
“It really is an eye opener to the options we have to help the planet.”
Osei Agyapong, another participant, added: “The mentors were world class both in professional experience and in my interactions with them.
“Fellows in the 2025 cohort closed the programme with capstone projects that ranged widely in form and ambition, from blue economy consulting analyses and a marine carbon dioxide removal assessment for Bermuda, to a policy short film and a proposal for reaching consensus with the island's fishermen on fisheries governance.”
The Ocean Finance Education Lab gives participants full access to the course curriculum, weekly master classes, interactive modules, guest speakers and real-world case studies in ocean finance, policy and the law of the sea, culminating in a capstone project.
Past master classes have featured leaders from EarthEcho International, IOC-Unesco, Conservation International, Ocean Visions and the governments of small island states, alongside immersive learning grounded in Bermuda's own marine ecosystems.
The 2026 edition will run in a hybrid format. All participants join weekly online master classes, with recordings available for anyone who cannot attend in person, so fellows can take part from anywhere in the world.
Students based in Bermuda are encouraged to attend in-person meetings featuring community engagements, site visits and informal spaces to connect with other young people interested in the sector.
The time commitment is roughly two to four hours a week, including the weekly master class sessions held on Fridays.
Completing the course earns participants a programme completion certificate. The final project each fellow develops will be evaluated by a global team of experts, offering feedback that can strengthen a participant's portfolio for future study and career opportunities.
Participation is free. The programme grants full access to the curriculum at no cost to fellows, though it does not guarantee stipends or internship placements. Local students who choose to develop a capstone project/final project will be offered a micro-grant upon approval.
The track is open to all students who are curious about Bermuda's marine ecosystem and its links to global ocean policy and finance, regardless of nationality or location. Applicants must be at least in their final year of high school and no older than 28.
Bermudian students studying abroad are especially encouraged to apply, as the virtual format is designed to keep them connected to developments at home. Students who are not Bermudian may also apply to audit the course.
• More information is available at youngoceanleaders.org or by e-mailing the team at info@youngoceanleaders.org. Applications for the 2026 cohort are open now atbit.ly/3NNQFxk
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