Issue date: 2 May 2025

Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC) in accordance with its exploration contract for cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts signed with the International Seabed Authority on 27 January 2014 is offering five (5) on-land and at-sea training opportunities for candidates from developing States within its 2026 training programme.

TRAINING PROGRAMME OVERVIEW:

The goal of the training programme is to build upon the knowledge, skills and experience required for the exploration of marine mineral resources which includes research planning, the handling and analysis of samples, as well as analysis and interpretation of survey data.

The programme will comprise a combination of lectures, fieldtrips, and work on a research vessel. Trainees will receive an initial orientation of the programme; lectures related to exploration activities; data analysis or handling samples at a laboratory in Japanese institutes or on a research vessel; field trips to Japanese institutions or facilities relevant to metal mining or the marine environment; presentations of training results and writing training reports.

The training is scheduled to take place between May and July 2026, for a period of approximately 40 days.

ELIGIBILITY:

Candidates should meet the following criteria:

  • Educational Background: A graduate degree in science or engineering in the relevant field of geology, geophysics, mineral processing, mining, environment or have an equivalent educational background.
  • Professional Experience: Candidate must have at least one year of work experience in the relevant field.
  • Language Proficiency: have sufficient knowledge of English for daily conversation and training.
  • Health: have good mental and physical health, suitable to work at sea
  • Age: must be under 45 years of age
  • Other: Possess seagoing experience (desirable)

COST BEARING

JOGMEC undertakes to cover only expenses directly related to the training programme for the training period including:

  • Travel: Round-trip international airfare (economy class).
  • Accommodation, meals and local travel while in Japan and on-board within the scope of the training programme
  • Insurance:  Travel insurance with medical coverage for the training period.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

The selected candidates will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement with JOGMEC as well as the Authority’s Contractors Training Programme Code of Conduct for Trainees prior to the start of the programme.

No later than four (4) weeks after the training has ended, each trainee shall submit an end-of-training report to JOGMEC and the Authority outlining, amongst other things, the training completed, the benefits of the training opportunity, the knowledge gained and how the training will advance their career/educational pursuits.

Upon successful completion of the programme and submission of reports, trainees shall receive a certificate from the Authority.

Trainees shall also be required to submit a supplementary report to the Authority five (5) years after the training has been completed, to allow for an assessment of the long-term benefits of the programme.

HOW TO APPLY

All interested applicants are invited to register and submit their applications on the Authority  CTP Application Portal, along with their supporting documents, including:

  • A coloured passport sized photo
  • A copy of current passport biopage
  • Duly completed and signed nomination form [docx | pdf] by the nominating entity
  • Copy of degree(s) and/or relevant certificate(s)
  • Copy of CV or Resume
  • Proof of English competence, as required
  • Proof of research or management skills

Applicants must select the following options when applying for this training opportunity on the Application Portal:

Contractor Name:       Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC)/CFC

Year:                                  2026

Programme Name:     On-land and At-sea

Specialization:             N/A

 Application Deadline:  30 June 2025. Late or incomplete applications will not be processed.

One of the Voluntary Commitments registered by the Authority at the 2017 UN Ocean Conference (#OceanAction 40768) and reiterated at the 2022 UN Ocean Conference aims at “Advancing women’s empowerment in marine scientific research”– As partner of the Women in Deep-Sea Research project (WIDSR), JOGMEC has pledged to allocate 50% of the training opportunities to qualified women applicants.