Clarification from the agency

Current Federal employees with competitive status; Former Federal employees with reinstatement eligibility; CTAP/ICTAP eligibles; Veterans with VOW, VEOA, VRA or 30% disability; Military Spouses; Individuals with Disabilities Schedule A; Peace Corps, Vista (AmeriCorps) eligibles; Those eligible under an OPM interchange agreement or other special appointing authority.

A successful candidate in the position of an Electrician Apprentice, under direct supervision of an Journeyman Electrician or Electrician Foreman, performs tasks which typically involve installation and adjustment (Construction) or maintenance and repair (Maintenance) of electrical equipment in Substations. The construction tasks include erection of new facilities or removal of old facilities. The maintenance tasks include routine inspection, modification, troubleshooting, and repair of facilities. Equipment serviced may be electrical, hydraulic, mechanical, pneumatic, and/or electronic.

An Electrician Apprentice:

• Installs and adjusts (construction) major electrical equipment such as power transformer and gas, oil, or air-insulated power circuit breakers; instrument and station service transformers, disconnect and circuit switches, protective devices, static capacitors, batteries and charges
• Maintains and repairs (maintenance) major electrical equipment in substations. When equipment fails, performs emergency repairs.
• Performs diagnostic testing to inspect parts and equipment.
• Performs work in shops on equipment components including bushings, motors, small power tools, etc. Assembles, installs, and modifies control and relay panels for substations.
• Assembles and erects steel racks and towers to support equipment.
• Installs and changes antennas, reflectors, transmitting or receiving devices, emergency power supplies, and other equipment located in microwave or radio stations.
• Occasionally takes clearances and performs switching to isolate a piece of equipment for repair.
• Conduit and trenches for equipment are installed under the service yard. Cables are pulled through the conduit.
• Completes associated documentation required of the above listed tasks.
• Drives 20-25% of the time in all weather conditions.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a United States Citizen.
• This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
• Males must abide by Selective Service registration requirements.
• Position subject to Initial Drug testing & random drug testing thereafter
• Selectee must be able to meet the physical requirements of the job.
• Selectee may be required to successfully complete a probationary period.

Persons filling Electrician Apprentice 1 positions will be required to meet some or all of the following conditions:

1. If exposed to health hazards, have periodic physical examinations as prescribed by competent medical authority at BPA expense. (Employees will work in close proximity to substances, such as mercury, acids, solvents, or PCB’s, which may have effects on health unless prescribed handling procedures are followed.)
2. Become fully knowledgeable of and follow the safety practices of the BPA Accident Prevention Manual.
3. Establish a residence in accordance with negotiated requirement, that is within our hour or less commuting time under normal weather and road conditions to the duty station headquarters.
4. Possess or obtain a valid commercial drivers’ license (CDL) with all endorsements required for operation of substation maintenance and construction equipment from state of residence within the first year of employment and maintain continuously thereafter.
5. Possess a U.S. Motor Vehicle Operator Authorization or obtain within 30 days after appointment. Traffic citations indicating poor driving habits may disqualify applicants.
6. Become certified on aerial lift equipment or other equipment if assigned to use or operate.
7. Take First Aid training to obtain a valid First Aid Card and CPR Card within the first month of employment and maintain continuously thereafter.
8. Subject to call for emergency work at any time.
9. Participate in all training activities such as training related to hazardous waste handling, oil spill containment and cleanup, and other environmental activities.
10. Be able to wear protective apparel such as respirators when required for worker safety.
11. In addition to successful evaluation of the final review, the Apprentice must pass the current year’s Standard Clearance Certification Examination. Satisfactory completion of the clearance certification examination is a mandatory requirement for graduation to the journeyman level.
12. The positions at Ashe (Richland) require unescorted access to a nuclear facility under the jurisdiction of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Final employee selection is subject to successfully completing a background investigation, medical and/or psychological evaluation and pre-employment drug and alcohol testing administered by the nuclear facility management. These positions are also subject to random drug and alcohol testing by the nuclear facility management.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet the requirements of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Job Qualification System for Trades and Labor Occupations (X-118C).  Although a specific length of time and experience is not required for most trade and labor occupations, you must show through experience and training that you possess the quality level of knowledge and skill necessary to perform the duties of the position at the level for which you are applying. Qualification requirements emphasis is on the quality of experience, not necessarily the length of time.

Your resume is the key means we have for evaluating your skills, knowledge, and abilities, as they relate to this position. Therefore, we encourage you to be clear and specific when describing your experience.

Candidates will be evaluated on the basis of a written examination, experience, education, training, supervisory appraisal and/or potential on the following job elements to determine those who are minimally qualified and those who are best qualified.

1. APTITUDE AND INTEREST TO LEARN TRADE THEORY. (Screen-out.)
2. Ability to follow directions.
3. Reliability and Dependability
4. Dexterity and Safety.
5. Ability to use prints and drawings.
6. Experience and Interest.

In addition to meeting the minimum qualifications for this position, you must pass a written aptitude examination demonstrating your potential for learning and advancing in a Electrician Apprentice position. Failure to pass the examination will result in an ineligible rating.

Testing sessions will be held 4-6 weeks following the close of the announcement. The next Electrician Apprentice class is scheduled to begin in January 2020.

"Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills; and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

CTAP/ICTAP candidates: To be considered "well qualified" you must meet all of the requirements as described in this section.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

The Department of Energy uses an application tracking system to evaluate the responses you provide in the applicant assessment questionnaire to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications necessary for this position. Then, the HR Office and/or Subject Matter Expert (SME) will conduct a quality review of your application and supporting documentation to determine if your qualifications meet the criteria for referral to the selecting official.

Only those applicants who attend a testing session, prepared and administered by the Office of Personnel Management, and pass the written aptitude examination, will receive further consideration for the position.  Applicants will receive a numerical score based on responses to the written test. The score is a measure of the degree to which your background matches the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for this position. Applicants rated as qualified will be referred to the Selecting Official for further consideration under Merit Promotion procedures; non-competitive candidates with a passing score will be referred as appropriate.

If you are eligible to apply to Merit Promotion announcements based on Veteran or other non-competitive statuses, we will verify your supporting documentation prior to referral. 

In the merit promotion selection process, due weight will be given to incentive awards and performance appraisals. Current federal employees must have at least a fully successful or equivalent performance rating to receive consideration for this position.

If you are eligible for career transition assistance plans such as ICTAP or CTAP, you must meet the definition of "well qualified" which is defined as having a score of 80 or better.

If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses you provided in your online questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation before the vacancy closes, you may be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score may be adjusted accordingly.