The Pathways Internship Program is designed to provide students enrolled in a wide variety of educational institutions from high school to graduate level with opportunities to work in agencies and explore Federal careers while still in school and while getting paid for the work performed. Intern positions are established under a Federal program called Pathways for Students and Recent Graduates to Federal Careers
The APHIS Biological Science Intern Program offers you the opportunity to gain valuable work experience in your field of study and will help you pursue your career goals, while doing work that touches the lives of Americans every day. The program offers a formal training experience that may last up to 2 years with the possibility of conversion to a permanent position upon successful completion of the program. Conversion is not guaranteed. Permanent positions may include Microbiologist, Wildlife Biologist, Biological Scientist, Agriculturist, or Plant Protection and Quarantine Officer.
As an intern you may work a full or part time schedule depending on your availability. You may be eligible for health insurance coverage and other benefits available to Federal employees. This is your opportunity to begin building a successful career!
USDA is a great place to start or continue your career. USDA is ranked as one of the top 10 "Best Places to Work in the Federal Government" by the Partnership for Public Service (http://bestplacestowork.org/BPTW/rankings/overall/large) Rankings are based on employee feedback regarding satisfaction with their work experience.
The educational/career focus & locations for the APHIS Biological Science Intern program are:
Plant Science/Agriculture:Gainesville, FL; El Segundo, CA; San Diego, CA; San Francisco, CA; Honolulu, HI; Kapalua, West Maui, HI; Linden, NJ; Austin, TX; McAllen, TX
Travel and housing expenses will not be paid.
APHIS is an emergency response agency. This means that all Agency employees may be asked or assigned to participate in rotating temporary duty assignments to support emergency programs at some time during their careers with APHIS. For details: APHIS Emergency Response
Summary
The Pathways Internship Program is designed to provide students enrolled in a wide variety of educational institutions from high school to graduate level with opportunities to work in agencies and explore Federal careers while still in school and while getting paid for the work performed. Intern positions are established under a Federal program called Pathways for Students and Recent Graduates to Federal Careers
The APHIS Biological Science Intern Program offers you the opportunity to gain valuable work experience in your field of study and will help you pursue your career goals, while doing work that touches the lives of Americans every day. The program offers a formal training experience that may last up to 2 years with the possibility of conversion to a permanent position upon successful completion of the program. Conversion is not guaranteed. Permanent positions may include Microbiologist, Wildlife Biologist, Biological Scientist, Agriculturist, or Plant Protection and Quarantine Officer.
As an intern you may work a full or part time schedule depending on your availability. You may be eligible for health insurance coverage and other benefits available to Federal employees. This is your opportunity to begin building a successful career!
USDA is a great place to start or continue your career. USDA is ranked as one of the top 10 "Best Places to Work in the Federal Government" by the Partnership for Public Service (http://bestplacestowork.org/BPTW/rankings/overall/large) Rankings are based on employee feedback regarding satisfaction with their work experience.
The educational/career focus & locations for the APHIS Biological Science Intern program are:
Plant Science/Agriculture:Gainesville, FL; El Segundo, CA; San Diego, CA; San Francisco, CA; Honolulu, HI; Kapalua, West Maui, HI; Linden, NJ; Austin, TX; McAllen, TX
Travel and housing expenses will not be paid.
APHIS is an emergency response agency. This means that all Agency employees may be asked or assigned to participate in rotating temporary duty assignments to support emergency programs at some time during their careers with APHIS. For details: APHIS Emergency Response
The duties described are for the GS-7 full performance level. At the GS-4 and GS-5 grade levels, assignments will be of more limited scope, performed with less independence and limited complexity. Interns will work in one or more of the following capacities:
In a laboratory setting working with animal pathogens and Agricultural Select Agents in support of animal health programs.
In a laboratory setting working with plant pests and pathogens and Agricultural Select Agents in support of plant health programs, or in a research facility in support of wildlife programs.
In the field supporting national plant or animal health protection programs through working directly with infected or vulnerable plants and animals.
In the field working to mitigate damage caused by wildlife in support of wildlife programs.
In an office setting working in preparation and response for nationwide animal or plant health emergencies, regulation of plant and animal imports and exports, or assist in the development and implementation of APHIS policies.
In an office, field or laboratory setting conducting duties to promote the regulation of genetically modified organics and facilitate the safe and innovative use of biotechnology.
Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
US Citizenship is required.
Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
Proof of student status must be submitted with the application.
All applicants must be in good academic standing.
Applicants must be at least 16 years old.
Special Conditions
All applicants must be in good academic standing as described above.
If selected, official transcripts will be required prior to entrance on duty. Proof of enrollment or acceptance for the upcoming academic term or semester will also be required.
Transcripts (official or unofficial) and proof of current enrollment must be included with your application. See the "Required Documents" section for more information.
Students selected to be an APHIS Biological Science Intern will be required to sign a Pathways Participant Agreement; the agreement must be signed by all applicable parties prior to reporting for work.
Selection and retention in this position is contingent on a successfully completed adjudicated FBI National Criminal History Check (fingerprint check) and a background investigation.
Work schedule will be determined when student is selected.
Pay will vary based upon the selectee's duty location. A final salary determination will be made upon selection.
This Internship confers eligibility for a noncompetitive conversion to a permanent or term position in the competitive service contingent upon meeting all applicable Internship Program requirements and the needs of the agency. You will be considered for conversion to a permanent or term position upon the successful completion of your Internship. However, please note that eligibility for conversion does not guarantee the agency will opt for conversion.
Some positions may require the use of protective equipment.
Interns working at the National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) in Ames, IA may be required to have specific vaccinations in order to obtain access to high-level biosecurity labs.
Occasional travel may be required.
Selectees will be asked to provide proof of continued qualifying enrollment and good academic standing throughout their participation in the Pathways program.
Qualifications
To qualify, you MUST meet all selective factor and qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
The following Selective Placement Factor (SPF) requirement is being used to determine whether an applicant fully qualifies for this position. Therefore, it is MANDATORY that all applicants meet this requirement in order to receive further consideration for this job vacancy. Applicants are required to submit all transcripts to support the selective placement factor. Applicants who fail to meet the selective placement factor may lose further consideration.
SELECTIVE FACTOR:
Students must be enrolled in a degree seeking program in the biological sciences, agriculture, natural resources management, chemistry, or related disciplines including animal health, wildlife management, plant science, entomology, microbiology, biochemistry, or production agriculture.
EDUCATION QUALIFICATIONS:
GS-4: Completion of 2 full academic years of post-high school study or an associate's degree in the biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position being filled.
GS-5: Completion of 4 academic years of post-high school education leading to a bachelor's or equivalent degree in the biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position being filled.
GS-7: Completion of 1 full academic year of graduate level education (18 semester hours, 27 quarter hours or equivalent)in the biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related discipline; OR eligibility under the Superior Academic Achievement provision which is: completion of the requirements for a bachelor's degree in a qualifying area of study from an accredited institution AND attainment of specific GPA requirements. For more details click: Superior Academic Achievement
ALL TRANSCRIPTS (undergraduate and graduate) are required.
Education
APHIS uses the following to determine acceptable grade point average and good academic standing for Pathways Intern participants:
the student’s cumulative GPA must be 2.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale; or
the minimum GPA requirements of the academic program in which the student is enrolled, if greater than 2.0; or
the minimum academic requirements based on the grading system established by the qualifying academic program in which the student is enrolled (i.e. vocational or business school);
and the student must meet all requirements established by his/her academic institution to be considered in good academic standing.
All academic degrees or course work must be completed in an educational institution that has obtained accreditation from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see http://www.ed.gov/.
Additional information
More than one selection may be made if another vacancy occurs within 90 days of the issuance of the certification of eligibles.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc) should contact: USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD).
E-Verify: Federal law requires agencies to use the E-Verify system to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires. If you are selected as a newly hired employee, the documentation you present for purposes of completing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Form I-9 on your entry-on-duty date will be verified through the DHS 'E-VERIFY' system. Under the system, the new hire is required to resolve any identified discrepancies as a condition of continued employment.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
This position does not confer all of the benefits usually associated with the competitive service such as tenure and transfer and privileges. However, the selectee will be entitled to sick and annual leave accrual. Eligibility for retirement benefits, health insurance and life insurance is determined on a case by case basis.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Category rating procedures will be used to rank and select eligible candidates. The following quality categories will be used: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, and Qualified. Within each quality category, veterans' preference eligibles will receive selection priority over non-veterans.
Your final category placement will be based on your responses to the assessment questionnaire.
If, after reviewing your resume and / or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score can / will be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Deliberate attempts to falsify information may be grounds for not selecting you.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
This position does not confer all of the benefits usually associated with the competitive service such as tenure and transfer and privileges. However, the selectee will be entitled to sick and annual leave accrual. Eligibility for retirement benefits, health insurance and life insurance is determined on a case by case basis.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
The following documents are required for your application to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in mail service, your system failure or downtime, etc. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.
Resume that includes the following information: 1) job information for which you are applying; 2) personal information; 3) education; 4) work experience including the work schedule and hours worked per week as well as dates of employment; and title, series and grade if applicable; 5) supervisors phone number for each work period listed and whether or not we may contact them for reference checks; and, 6) other qualifications.
College Transcripts You must submit a copy of your college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university.
Proof of student status is required. Applicants must submit one of the following: a letter of acceptance to an accredited college or university for an upcoming academic term; OR Transcripts showing current enrollment at an accredited college or university; OR A letter on college/university stationery stating that you are enrolled for the current academic term.
DD-214(Member 4 Copy) If claiming veteran’s preference, you must submit a DD214, Certificate of Release from Active Duty, which shows dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions. If currently on active duty you must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty service under honorable conditions that is signed no later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted. The certification must be on the letterhead of the appropriate military branch and include the dates of military service. Veteran’s preference must be verified prior to appointment. Without this documentation, you will not receive veteran’s preference and your application will be evaluated based on the material(s) submitted.
NOTE: If a document is resubmitted, it replaces the previous submission, which means the previous document is no longer available to the Human Resources Office. If you are adding to, rather than replacing a previous submission, you must upload both the old document and the new document. Please verify that documents you are uploading from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded resumes must be less than 3MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, or Word (DOC or DOCX).
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin. The following instructions outline our application process.
You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.
We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday - Friday). Applying online is highly encouraged. If applying online poses a hardship, please contact our office during business hours well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages with supporting documents must be submitted no later than noon on the closing date of the announcement in order to be entered into the system prior to its closing.
This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact us if you are requesting this.
Step 1: Create a USAJOBS account (if you do not have one) at www.usajobs.gov. It is recommended that as part of your profile you set up automatic email notification to be informed when the status of your application changes. If you choose not to set up this automatic notification, then you will have to log into your USAJOBS account to check on the status of your application.
Step 2: Create a resume with USAJOBS or upload a resume into your USAJOBS account. Customize your resume to ensure it documents duties and accomplishments you have gained that are directly related to this position in order to verify that qualifications are met. Your resume must support your responses to the online questionnaire (you may preview the online questionnaire by clicking on the link at the end of the How You Will Be Evaluated section of the job announcement).
Step 3: Click "Apply Online" and follow the prompts to complete the Occupational Questionnaire and attach any additional documents that may be required. You can update your application or documents anytime while the announcement is open. Log into your USAJOBS account and click on "Application Status." Click on the position title, and then select "Update Application” to continue. NOTE: Verify that uploaded documents from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system. Once in the Agency's staffing system you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded documents must be less than 3MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, or Word (DOC or DOCX).
USDA
100 N 6th St, Butler Sq Bldg, Suite 510C
Minneapolis, MN, 55403
United States
Next steps
If you set up your USAJOBS account to send automatic email notifications, you will receive an email acknowledging: 1) the submission of your online Occupational Questionnaire and resume was successful, 2) if you were referred to the selecting official for consideration, and 3) if you were selected or not selected. If you choose not to set up automatic email notifications, you must check your USAJOBS account for the latest status of your application. Your application may be reviewed to verify that you meet the qualifications and eligibility requirements for the position prior to issuing lists to a selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. We expect to make a final job offer within 40 days after the closing date of the announcement.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
The following documents are required for your application to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in mail service, your system failure or downtime, etc. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.
Resume that includes the following information: 1) job information for which you are applying; 2) personal information; 3) education; 4) work experience including the work schedule and hours worked per week as well as dates of employment; and title, series and grade if applicable; 5) supervisors phone number for each work period listed and whether or not we may contact them for reference checks; and, 6) other qualifications.
College Transcripts You must submit a copy of your college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university.
Proof of student status is required. Applicants must submit one of the following: a letter of acceptance to an accredited college or university for an upcoming academic term; OR Transcripts showing current enrollment at an accredited college or university; OR A letter on college/university stationery stating that you are enrolled for the current academic term.
DD-214(Member 4 Copy) If claiming veteran’s preference, you must submit a DD214, Certificate of Release from Active Duty, which shows dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions. If currently on active duty you must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty service under honorable conditions that is signed no later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted. The certification must be on the letterhead of the appropriate military branch and include the dates of military service. Veteran’s preference must be verified prior to appointment. Without this documentation, you will not receive veteran’s preference and your application will be evaluated based on the material(s) submitted.
NOTE: If a document is resubmitted, it replaces the previous submission, which means the previous document is no longer available to the Human Resources Office. If you are adding to, rather than replacing a previous submission, you must upload both the old document and the new document. Please verify that documents you are uploading from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded resumes must be less than 3MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, or Word (DOC or DOCX).
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin. The following instructions outline our application process.
You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.
We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday - Friday). Applying online is highly encouraged. If applying online poses a hardship, please contact our office during business hours well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages with supporting documents must be submitted no later than noon on the closing date of the announcement in order to be entered into the system prior to its closing.
This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact us if you are requesting this.
Step 1: Create a USAJOBS account (if you do not have one) at www.usajobs.gov. It is recommended that as part of your profile you set up automatic email notification to be informed when the status of your application changes. If you choose not to set up this automatic notification, then you will have to log into your USAJOBS account to check on the status of your application.
Step 2: Create a resume with USAJOBS or upload a resume into your USAJOBS account. Customize your resume to ensure it documents duties and accomplishments you have gained that are directly related to this position in order to verify that qualifications are met. Your resume must support your responses to the online questionnaire (you may preview the online questionnaire by clicking on the link at the end of the How You Will Be Evaluated section of the job announcement).
Step 3: Click "Apply Online" and follow the prompts to complete the Occupational Questionnaire and attach any additional documents that may be required. You can update your application or documents anytime while the announcement is open. Log into your USAJOBS account and click on "Application Status." Click on the position title, and then select "Update Application” to continue. NOTE: Verify that uploaded documents from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system. Once in the Agency's staffing system you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded documents must be less than 3MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, or Word (DOC or DOCX).
USDA
100 N 6th St, Butler Sq Bldg, Suite 510C
Minneapolis, MN, 55403
United States
Next steps
If you set up your USAJOBS account to send automatic email notifications, you will receive an email acknowledging: 1) the submission of your online Occupational Questionnaire and resume was successful, 2) if you were referred to the selecting official for consideration, and 3) if you were selected or not selected. If you choose not to set up automatic email notifications, you must check your USAJOBS account for the latest status of your application. Your application may be reviewed to verify that you meet the qualifications and eligibility requirements for the position prior to issuing lists to a selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. We expect to make a final job offer within 40 days after the closing date of the announcement.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
