In March 2002, the National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Forecast Office (WFO) in Tallahassee, Florida, became collocated with The Florida State University's Department of Meteorology. One of the reasons for the move was to foster further collaboration between WFO Tallahassee and the meteorology department, including providing work experiences for students interested in careers in operational meteorology.

Over the past few years, as student interest in the NWS has increased, WFO Tallahassee has instituted a new program designed to expose meteorology students to a full array of topics in operational meteorology. The WFO Tallahassee Mentorship Program pairs meteorology students, who have completed their junior year, with operational forecasters. The students train and work alongside their mentors for at least 10 hours each week.

The student and forecaster discuss and decide on an appropriate schedule to allow for optimum balance between coursework and the mentorship. The program covers the operation of NWS equipment, familiarity with NWS products and services, training in various analysis techniques, interpretation of model guidance, use of the WSR-88D, and training in the creation of NWS products. The students also have the option of selecting a special topic in meteorology to research in more detail. The one-on-one relationship between forecaster and student fosters an efficient learning and working environment for the student. The program also allows the student to make a fully informed decision regarding future employment in operational meteorology.