BOTC 141 Underway

OC Parks looking at celestial objects through the sextant. PPhoto Credits: OC Starsinic

OC Harris watching the sunset on Eagle Photo Credits: OC Rivera

BOTC 141 on the bridge of the Norwegian Gem that was moored alongside Eagle in the Azores

BOTC 141 returned earlier this week from their transatlantic voyage to Azores, Portugal on USCGC Eagle. BOTC 141 spent the past two weeks with fellow OCS shipmates traveling through rough seas and gaining hands-on experience in line handling, plotting, ROTR, cel nav, and professional development. This week, BOTC will be learning about ARPA at USMRC. Next week, BOTC will start their curriculum on Fast Rescue Boats.

OC Foster handling lines along the fife rail. Photo Credits: OC Parks

OC Black, R on the helm. Photo Credits: OC Parks

OC Rivera starts a P100 engine for a firefighter training session. Photo Credits: OC Almodovar

Call for Volunteers: BOTC 143 Interviews

NOAA Corps Recruiting is looking for motivated Officers (O2-O4) who are willing to complete interviews for BOTC 143. To improve consistency, Recruiting is asking each interviewer to conduct a minimum of 3-5 interviews.

Officers will conduct all interviews virtually via Google Meet. Interviews can be scheduled as early as the second week of May, with all interviews completed by June 16th.

This interview process is your chance to have a direct hand in shaping the future of the NOAA Corps. Please email LCDR Andrew Reynaga at noaacorps.recruiting@noaa.gov if you are interested. Thank you for your consideration!

Recruiting Spotlight

The Recruiting Branch would like to thank officers across the Corps for the continued recruiting efforts. Our reach has spanned over 50 distinct events since the new year. Some of these have been multi-day, and the vast majority have been in person. Thank you.

This week, we highlight NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson completed two days of public tours at the Tall Ships Festival in Galveston, TX from April 14 to April 15. The crew welcomed 1,840 visitors aboard to share information about the ship, the NOAA Corps, and wage mariner opportunities. Additionally, they hosted private tours for Senator Cornyn's staff and local NOAA offices. Bravo Zulu to the Thomas Jefferson crew and to LTJG Kait Brogan of R/V Manta for teaming up on this outreach opportunity.

The NOAA Corps Recruiting Branch is currently planning our summer and fall event schedule. If you are interested in volunteering or have an event you think we should attend, please reach out to LCDR Andrew Reynaga at noaacorps.recruiting@noaa.gov

Opportunity: BOTC 142 & 143 Junior Officer Sponsor

Since BOTC 136, CPC has been supporting the NJAC-proposed BOTC Junior Officer Sponsor program. The goal of this program is to provide BOTC candidates access to another resource similar to the BOTC Flag sponsor, but at a more approachable level. The program has been a success thus far, and we are continuing to carry it forward for future BOTC classes.

CPC is soliciting applications for the next BOTC Junior Officer Sponsor. The selectee will serve as BOTC JO Sponsor for the next 2 BOTC classes. Please see the link below for a description of the program, and instructions for how to apply.
BOTC Junior Officer Sponsor Program Information

Junior Officers between the grades of O-1 to O-3 may apply. Applicants must have graduated from the current USCG and NOAA Corps Joint Service Officer Training program. CPC will fund formal mentorship or coaching training for the selected Junior Officer.

Submit your application package to cpc.training@noaa.gov by COB Wednesday May 24th, 2023. Applicants will be notified of their selection status via e-mail around early to mid-July 2023. Supervisors are encouraged to support Junior Officer participation in this program.

Please contact chief.careermgmt.cpc@noaa.gov for questions.

OPF Education and Training Spring Cleaning

Spring is in the air and it is the perfect time to take a look at your new Qualifications, Training, and Education tabs within your OPF to check them for accuracy.

Education and Training - The Directive NOAA Corps Directives 01606 states an Officer’s Education and Training record shall contain: School Transcripts (transcripts evidencing Degree Completion), Degree Certificates (aka Diplomas), Professional Licenses, Designation Letters/Revocation Letters (OOD, Aviation, Diver, etc.), Approved Training Course Certificates, and Promotion Training Requirement Waiver/Substitution Letters.

For ease of reference, 3 subcategories have been created in your eOPF to meet the above requirement while providing a faster look for personnel decision boards.

• Subcategory 1: Qualifications
  The only documents that should be in your qualification section are:
  Designation Letters/Revocation Letters (OOD, Aviation, Diver, etc.).
  
  A very important point to remember is that receiving a qualification letter does not mean you have received authorization to wear the associated insignia. Insignia recommendation and approval memorandums must be routed to OPMD and approved by Director, NOAA Corps or designee.
• Subcategory 2: Training
  The documents that should be in your training record are: Professional Licenses, Approved Training Course Certificates, and Promotion Training Requirement Waiver/Substitution Letters.
  
  Personnel boards specifically look at the credit type, amount, and vendor of the training you have participated in. Take the time to update your record to reflect the time you spent or were accredited in each course. If you see a common vendor is missing from the dropdown list please generate an HR Action Request under the Training category to request that a common vendor (one used commonly by NOAA Corps units) be added. Also, the Promotion Training Requirement Substitution Letters are what make you eligible for promotion to LTJG, LT, and LCDR. Please continue to submit your completion certificates of training required for promotion to cpc.training@noaa.gov so that these letters can be continued to be generated for your OPF.
• Subcategory 3 Education:
  The only documents that should be in your education section are: Degree Certificates (aka Diplomas), and School Transcripts (transcripts evidencing Degree Completion).

How to make changes:
Now that you know the breakdown of how documents should be organized in your OPF, use the envelope icon to the far right of your record entries to request changes. If the envelope icon is grayed out, you have to have a document matched to the entry in order to proceed. These requests generate tickets that are sent to CPC staff to validate so please be patient when generating these tickets and thank you for dedicating time to spring clean your records!

From the Assignments Desk: Shore Billet #1005 - Programs and Project Manager, Aircraft Operations Center

The Aircraft Operations Center (AOC) is seeking a junior officer(O2-O3) to join their team in Lakeland, FL. The Programs and Project Manager (PM) billet is a new assignment and open to all NOAA Corps officers regardless of aviation or maritime background. The primary role of the PM is leading assigned projects and collaborating with both internal and external stakeholders in each of the line offices to plan and support AOC flight operations. As on-site project manager, the PM will have oversight of budget execution, aircraft tasking, crew scheduling, and other logistics as needed. With this assignment, the PM can expect to travel (~20% annually) to aircraft detachment sites in both CONUS and OCONUS locations and be involved with site visits ahead of air crew, conferences, and meetings.

Officers interested in the assignment are encouraged to contact LCDR Megan Gaston at megan.gaston@noaa.gov or the Officer Assignment Branch at assignmentbranch.cpc@noaa.gov to learn more.