low flyer,
Aircraft Dispatcher shares responsibility for the flight with the Captain. The dispatcher calculates required fuel, route, weather, weight&balance, aircraft configuration, etc. In the US, the dispatcher licence exams are almost identical to the ATPL exams. The guy on the ramp with the clipboard does not have to go through anything other than basic training (Apologies to any ramp personnal if I'm wrong!)
In the US, there are plenty of schools offering courses to obtain the licence. Cost is around $4,000.
I got my dispatcher cert a few months ago, but did not start looking for a job yet.
E-mail me if I can be of any further help.