FAQs

The admission screening will consist of representatives from the Pacific Desk. The final selection team will be comprised of representatives from the Pacific Desk, NOAA / NWS and other partnering organizations. The team will strive to create a cohort that appropriately represents the governments, technical areas, gender and ethnicity. 

All instructional, administrative and travel costs are funded by the Pacific Desk through funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/National Weather Service.

To apply to the Pacific International Training Desk, please visit our How to Apply page where all pertinent information is displayed.

The Pacific Desk application criteria are flexible. The selection team will evaluate applicants based on their:

• Formal Education
• Experience

Candidates:

• Must be a citizen of one of the following Pacific Island Countries: Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vietnam and Vanuatu. 
• Must to be able to obtain a US entry visa
• Must be officially nominated and approved by their home meteorological organization/office.
• Applicants will be expected to have a fluent level of English.
• Must have some training and experience in weather observation
• Limited (one year or less) experience in weather forecasting.
• Training is geared towards non-Scientific Officers (observers, met technicians, etc.)
• Training is not for Scientific Officers (forecasters) who have gone through advanced training and met courses (such as the Melbourne BoM), but for senior observers and non-scientific officers who might want to become forecasters
• Written explanation may be provided for justification of any deviation from the above criteria.

The University of Hawai‘i Telecommunications and Social Informatics (UH TASI) Research Program serves as the program coordinator, conducting a transparent application process.  UH TASI continues to provide updated and more detailed information.

Permanent Representatives (PRs) may nominate students to submit applications for the on-site training program. 

Round trip airfare to Honolulu, HI, lodging, living stipend, course materials, and reimbursements for approved costs are provided by the Pacific Desk.

The Pacific International Desk is one of the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) contributions to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Voluntary Cooperation Program.

The successful functioning of the Pacific Desk requires collective efforts from all jurisdictions to:

1. Disseminate and distribute program information and initiate the application process.
2. Encourage potential candidates to apply.
3. Support candidates throughout their training time to ensure they successfully complete the program.
4. Ensure that the absence of the nominee during his/her studies abroad will not have any adverse effects on his/her status, seniority, salary, pension and similar rights.

Each cohort will have 2-5 participants.

The admission screening will consist of representatives from the Pacific Desk. The final selection team will be comprised of representatives from the Pacific Desk, NOAA / NWS and other partnering organizations. The team will strive to create a cohort that appropriately represents the governments, technical areas, gender and ethnicity. 

To apply to the Pacific International Training Desk, please visit our How to Apply page where all pertinent information is displayed.

The Pacific Desk application criteria are flexible. The selection team will evaluate applicants based on their:

• Formal Education
• Experience

Candidates:

• Must be a citizen of one of the following Pacific Island Countries: Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vietnam and Vanuatu. 
• Must to be able to obtain a US entry visa
• Must be officially nominated and approved by their home meteorological organization/office.
• Applicants will be expected to have a fluent level of English.
• Must have some training and experience in weather observation
• Limited (one year or less) experience in weather forecasting.
• Training is geared towards non-Scientific Officers (observers, met technicians, etc.)
• Training is not for Scientific Officers (forecasters) who have gone through advanced training and met courses (such as the Melbourne BoM), but for senior observers and non-scientific officers who might want to become forecasters
• Written explanation may be provided for justification of any deviation from the above criteria.

The successful functioning of the Pacific Desk requires collective efforts from all jurisdictions to:

1. Disseminate and distribute program information and initiate the application process.
2. Encourage potential candidates to apply.
3. Support candidates throughout their training time to ensure they successfully complete the program.
4. Ensure that the absence of the nominee during his/her studies abroad will not have any adverse effects on his/her status, seniority, salary, pension and similar rights.

Each cohort will have 2-5 participants.

Once an applicant is informed that he/she has been accepted into the Pacific International Training Desk, they should begin the process of obtaining a U.S. B-1 Visa for travel to the United States. For additional information on Visa requirements/processes please visit: US Visitor Visa

Please note that if you do not have a U.S. Visa in hand by the time you need to travel to participate in this program, you will be disqualified and removed from the program.

1. eLearning Prerequisite Course: Intended for forecasters who want to attend the in person training in Honolulu. The course materials will be distributed via USB flash drives for local viewing (not via an internet connection). Quizzes and assessments will be conducted via an online eCourse Management System. The prerequisite course must be completed as part of the application process. Documented experience may be substituted on a case-by-case basis.
2. On-Site Training: A month long in person training will be held in Honolulu, Hawaii at the NWS Forecast Office on the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus or at the NWS Forecast Office in Guam. As before, the program will provide students’ travel, lodging, per diem and a laptop computer.
3. Communication Training: In addition to meteorology training, the on-site program includes a unit on weather related communication systems and content management programs to raise awareness and develop capacity for utilization of tools that are readily available in the region.
4. Workshops: Regional, in-country workshops will be held periodically on a variety of specialized forecast topics including aviation, tropical cyclones, tsunami, and marine forecasting.