The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the research arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture whose mission is finding solutions to agricultural problems of high national importance. The Pathways Student Internship Program provides students with a meaningful paid work experience in a Federal agency will still in school. Internships are open to individuals who have been accepted for enrollment or who are enrolled and seeking a degree from a qualifying educational institution on a full or half-time basis.
This appointment is not to exceed September 30, 2017 and may be extended in increments not-to-exceed 1 year or less for up to 8 years in total, as long as the student remains eligible for the program. Upon successful completion of the internship program, students MAY be non-competitively converted to a term or permanent position; however, conversion eligibility is not an entitlement of the Student Internship Program.
The Agricultural Research Service advertises student internship positions on USAJOBS throughout the year as part of our overall recruitment strategy. Please visit USAJOBS for additional internship opportunities.
Summary
The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the research arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture whose mission is finding solutions to agricultural problems of high national importance. The Pathways Student Internship Program provides students with a meaningful paid work experience in a Federal agency will still in school. Internships are open to individuals who have been accepted for enrollment or who are enrolled and seeking a degree from a qualifying educational institution on a full or half-time basis.
This appointment is not to exceed September 30, 2017 and may be extended in increments not-to-exceed 1 year or less for up to 8 years in total, as long as the student remains eligible for the program. Upon successful completion of the internship program, students MAY be non-competitively converted to a term or permanent position; however, conversion eligibility is not an entitlement of the Student Internship Program.
The Agricultural Research Service advertises student internship positions on USAJOBS throughout the year as part of our overall recruitment strategy. Please visit USAJOBS for additional internship opportunities.
As a trainee, you will receive formal training and work assignments selected to orient you to accomplish the below duties. Typical, but not all-inclusive, the duties include the following:
Receives and logs requests for personnel actions in automated tracking system. Responsible for the maintenance and accuracy of the SF-52 Tracking Report. Follows up with appropriate specialist on the status of actions on the Tracking Report and ensures that completion dates are keyed into the system. Responds to requests for status of actions from the serviced organization.
Keys data into the position management system to add, inactivate, change, or abolish positions. Works with the Human Resources Specialist to make necessary corrections.
Processes the full range of personnel transactions in accordance with OPM Guide to Processing Personnel Actions. Inputs a variety of payroll/personnel forms into the system. Monitors the input to ensure the data was accepted by the system and takes corrective action to update the system as necessary.
Codes and prepares SF-52's for processing. Assigns the appropriate nature of action and authority codes, remarks, and effective dates. Ensures that information provided on SF-52 (e.g. name, social security number, position title, position number, etc.) is accurate.
Enters actions into the USDA Payroll/Personnel System via EmpowHR. Researches errors in data entry to dete1mine whether corrections should be processed manually and in the EmpowHR or PMSO System, and makes corrections to ensure that the personnel action is accepted in the system.
US citizen at time of noncompetitive conversion to a term or perm position
Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service
Must be at least 16 years of age and meet state and federal employment laws
Must successfully pass a background check/security investigation
Enrolled at least half-time, at a qualifying educational institution
Must be in good academic standing (2.0 GPA or higher)
Must sign a Pathways Participant Agreement prior to appointment
Complete @ least 640 hours of work experience prior to completion of degree
Students must be at least 16 years of age and meet Federal, State and Local laws governing the employment of minors.
Must be in good academic standing as defined by the educational institution.
Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
If you are newly hired, the documentation you present for purposes of completing the Department Homeland Security (DHS) Form I-9 on your entry-on-duty date will be verified through the DHS "E-VERIFY" system. Federal law requires the use of E-VERIFY to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires. Under this system, the new hire is required to resolve any identified discrepancies as a condition of continued employment.
Must be a U.S. citizen prior to non-competitive conversion to a term or permanent position.
Qualifications
Program Eligibility Requirements
Applicants must be currently enrolled or accepted for enrollment at a qualifying educational institution on a full or half-time basis in a degree (diploma, certificate, etc.) seeking program and be in good academic standing. The duties of the position must be related to either the student’s academic or career goals.
Qualification Requirements
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet the qualification requirements stated below: GS-0299-05 - Completion of all requirements for a bachelors degree or equivalent degree.
Education
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.edu.gov/.
A post-secondary certificate program must have been completed at a qualified educational institution equivalent to at least 1 academic year or full-time study that is part of an accredited college-level, technical, trade, vocational, or business school curriculum.
Additional information
This announcement may be used to fill multiple vacancies.
Background Investigation and Fingerprint Check: Selection and retention in this position is contingent on a successfully adjudicated FBI National Criminal History Check (fingerprint check) and a background investigation.
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition (ICTAP): If you are claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, provide proof of eligibility to include your most recent performance appraisal, SF-50, and proof of eligibility such as a RIF separation notice or letter from OPM/your agency. Information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility is on OPMs Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/ctap/index.asp .
Persons with Disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact: USDAs TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD).
Conditions of Employment: Selection for this position is contingent upon: 1) completion of Form OF-306, Declaration for Federal Employment during the pre-employment process and 2) proof of U.S. citizenship or, for non-citizens, proof of authorization to work in the United States. For a list of documents that may be used to provide proof of citizenship or authorization to work in the United States, please refer to Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, available at http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-9.pdf
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.
USDA-ARS will provide the following benefits to their student hires: All students hired under the USDA Pathways Internship Program are entitled to benefits such as: -Commuter Transit Subsidy (pending the availability of budgeted funds/allocations) -Telework and/or Flexible work schedule (upon supervisor approval).
Student interns with a NTE date may be eligible to enroll in the Federal Employee’s Health Benefits (FEHB) Program if they meet the criteria as described in the Federal Register Vol. 79, No. 201, October 17, 2014 http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2014-10-17/html/2014-24652.htm.
Student interns without a NTE date are eligible to enroll in the Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) Program, the Federal Employee’s Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) Program, the Federal Employee’s Retirement System (FERS) and the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP).
The cost of premiums is split between the employee and the agency, as it is for all permanent employees. (See 5 CFR 870.202 for life insurance and 5 CFR 890.102 for health benefits.).
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.
Note: If, after reviewing your resume and / or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you provided false documentation, you will be removed from consideration.
Individuals will be evaluated against the OPM Group Coverage Qualification Standard for Schedule D, Pathways Internship Positions.
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.
USDA-ARS will provide the following benefits to their student hires: All students hired under the USDA Pathways Internship Program are entitled to benefits such as: -Commuter Transit Subsidy (pending the availability of budgeted funds/allocations) -Telework and/or Flexible work schedule (upon supervisor approval).
Student interns with a NTE date may be eligible to enroll in the Federal Employee’s Health Benefits (FEHB) Program if they meet the criteria as described in the Federal Register Vol. 79, No. 201, October 17, 2014 http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2014-10-17/html/2014-24652.htm.
Student interns without a NTE date are eligible to enroll in the Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) Program, the Federal Employee’s Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) Program, the Federal Employee’s Retirement System (FERS) and the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP).
The cost of premiums is split between the employee and the agency, as it is for all permanent employees. (See 5 CFR 870.202 for life insurance and 5 CFR 890.102 for health benefits.).
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 and digitally signed documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.
Resume must include: 1) personal information; 2) education; 3) work experience including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; and title, series and grade if applicable; 4) supervisors phone number, e-mail address for each work period listed, and whether or not we may contact them for reference checks; and 5) other qualifications.
Proof of enrollment or acceptance of enrollment and good academic standing:
In the form of letters, records, or statements issued from a high school, vocational institution, college or university. The documentation provided must be issued from an authorized source (example: university registrar’s office). AND/OR
A copy of your most recent transcripts which show your field of study, school name, students name, current GPA or academic standing, past and current course work, degree program, and major/concentration. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application; however, if selected, an official college transcript will be required prior to entering on duty.
You must submit the documents below if you claim any of the following:
Veterans, if claiming preference: DD-214, Certificate of Release from Active Duty showing dates of service and type of discharge. Disabled veterans must include VA letter & SF-15 if claiming 10 pt. preference. Current active duty members must submit certification that they are expected to be discharged or released from active duty under honorable conditions no later than 120 days after date the certification is 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.
Applicants 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. Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.
Please follow steps 1-3 to apply for this position:
Step 1: Create a USAJOBS account (if you do not already 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. You may want to 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. In addition, your resume should include your GPA/academic standing, degree program and major/concentration, work and/or volunteer experience and references.
Step 3: Click "Apply Online" and attach any additional documents that may be required. You can update your application or documents anytime while the announcement is open. Simply log into your USAJOBS account and click on "Application Status." Click on the position title, and then select "Update Application” to continue.
USDA/ARS
5601 Sunnyside Avenue
Beltsville, MD, 20705
USA
Next steps
USDA Student Trainees who study veterinary or biological science or attend an 1890 Land Grant university, 1994 Tribal College, or Hispanic Serving Institution, may be eligible for the USDA Scholars Program to receive scholarship as well as a university grant for room and board.
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. Normally, a final job offer to the selected candidate is made within 30-60 days after the issuance of the certificate.
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 and digitally signed documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.
Resume must include: 1) personal information; 2) education; 3) work experience including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; and title, series and grade if applicable; 4) supervisors phone number, e-mail address for each work period listed, and whether or not we may contact them for reference checks; and 5) other qualifications.
Proof of enrollment or acceptance of enrollment and good academic standing:
In the form of letters, records, or statements issued from a high school, vocational institution, college or university. The documentation provided must be issued from an authorized source (example: university registrar’s office). AND/OR
A copy of your most recent transcripts which show your field of study, school name, students name, current GPA or academic standing, past and current course work, degree program, and major/concentration. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application; however, if selected, an official college transcript will be required prior to entering on duty.
You must submit the documents below if you claim any of the following:
Veterans, if claiming preference: DD-214, Certificate of Release from Active Duty showing dates of service and type of discharge. Disabled veterans must include VA letter & SF-15 if claiming 10 pt. preference. Current active duty members must submit certification that they are expected to be discharged or released from active duty under honorable conditions no later than 120 days after date the certification is 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.
Applicants 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. Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.
Please follow steps 1-3 to apply for this position:
Step 1: Create a USAJOBS account (if you do not already 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. You may want to 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. In addition, your resume should include your GPA/academic standing, degree program and major/concentration, work and/or volunteer experience and references.
Step 3: Click "Apply Online" and attach any additional documents that may be required. You can update your application or documents anytime while the announcement is open. Simply log into your USAJOBS account and click on "Application Status." Click on the position title, and then select "Update Application” to continue.
USDA/ARS
5601 Sunnyside Avenue
Beltsville, MD, 20705
USA
Next steps
USDA Student Trainees who study veterinary or biological science or attend an 1890 Land Grant university, 1994 Tribal College, or Hispanic Serving Institution, may be eligible for the USDA Scholars Program to receive scholarship as well as a university grant for room and board.
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. Normally, a final job offer to the selected candidate is made within 30-60 days after the issuance of the certificate.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
