The Pathways Internship is for current students pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree or certificate. While in school, they are eligible to work either part- or full- time paid internships at NOAA to allow them to explore a federal career path related to their field of study.  

Upon completion of their degree or certificate, they are eligible to be converted non-competitively to a full time federal employee. To be eligible for the Pathways Internship, individuals must be enrolled in a relevant degree program. 

Who is eligible to apply? 

• Students who have been accepted for enrollment or are currently enrolled in an accredited educational institution in good academic standing leading to completion of a degree or Certificate program
• Pursuing an IT related degree including: computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management or degree that provided a minimum of 24 semester hours in one or more of the fields identified above and required the development or adaptation of applications, systems or networks.
• U.S. citizenship at the time of application submission

Benefits of a Pathways Internship:

1. Ability to work a part or full time job while in school in a field related to your degree and career goals 
2. Upon completion of your degree, you may have the opportunity to non-competitively convert to a permanent federal employee 
3. Gain meaningful and hands-on entry level experience in your degree field

About the position: 
Work assignments are clear cut, well planned, and are designed to prepare the employee to perform IT security work auxiliary to the organization. The incumbent independently plans and performs entry level, developmental assignments under periodic technical supervision. The work assigned may involve a variety of IT specialty areas. The internship experience is individualized and tailored to needs of the appointing NOAA line/staff office.

• Drafting procedures and supporting templates to help develop certifications and accreditations; performing research regarding compliance with standards, policies, and procedures to support accreditation decisions; applying established quality metrics to assess compliance with NOAA requirements.
• Ensuring IT systems are running optimally and securely; and assisting higher-level specialists in more complex and intricate tasks.

For more information (higher level information) about the Pathways Program, including fact sheets and frequently asked questions, visit https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/students-recent-graduates/#url=intern