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Pathways Student Trainee (Bus)

Department of Agriculture
Agriculture, Rural Development
This job announcement has closed

Summary

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. Rankings are based on employee feedback regarding satisfaction with their work experience.

The Internship Program is designed to provide students enrolled in a variety of qualifying educational institutions, from high school to graduate level, with opportunities to work in agencies and explore career paths related to their academic fields of study or career interests. 

Interns may work flexible schedules with supervisor approval.

Interns seeking a degree in one of the following fields is preferred;
Finance, business administration, economics, accounting, insurance, engineering, mathematics, banking and credit, law, real estate operations, statistics, or other fields related to the position, such as agriculture, agricultural economics, farm, livestock or ranch management, or rural sociology.

Interns may be non-competitively converted to a term, career-conditional or career appointment within 120 days following successful completion of their education and work requirements in accordance with 5 CFR 362.204. Interns selected from this vacancy announcement may be eligible for conversion to a GS-1165-05/07/09 Loan Specialist career ladder position depending on qualifications and the Agencys need. 

An agency is not required to convert any individual in a Pathways position to a position in the competitive service, whether upon completion of degree requirements or otherwise. Conversion to a competitive service position is not an entitlement.

In addition to meeting the pathways requirements for conversion, an applicant converting to a Loan Specialist, GS-1165-05/07/09 is required to also meet the basic requirement for the GS-1165 series which is listed under the Qualifications Required section of the announcement. For more information on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standard for the GS-1165 series click: http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/Standards/group-stds/gs-admin.asp

The applicant must also be a U.S. citizen upon conversion.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
06/13/2018 to 06/22/2018
Salary
$12.74 to - $17.71 per hour
Pay scale & grade
GS 03
Locations
9 vacancies in the following locations:
Champaign, IL
Hays, KS
Topeka, KS
Faribault, MN
Travel Required
Occasional travel - 1-5 days
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Internships
Work schedule
Multiple Schedules
Service
Promotion potential
05
Supervisory status
No
Announcement number
PATH-MW-2018-0127
Control number
502147900

This job is open to

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Duties

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Position is that of a Student Trainee. This position would be of particular interest to students in fields such as finance, business administration, economics, accounting, insurance, mathematics, banking and credit, law, real estate operations, statistics, or other fields related to the position.

Trainees carry out increasingly complex responsibilities to gain the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to perform a full range of assignments related to Rural Development programs and the role of Loan Specialist.  Work schedule is flexible and can be negotiated to accommodate the Trainee’s school obligations.

The Student Trainee will perform a variety of duties and activities related to Rural Development's loan and grant programs in Multi-Family Housing, Community Programs, Business Programs, or Single-Family Housing.  Typical duties may include:

  • Maintaining electronic and manual files; collecting, gathering, and compiling data; operating automated systems
  •  Receiving visitors and answering telephone inquiries
  • Assisting with or attending community outreach events
  • Assisting with preparation of loan processing, servicing and closing documents; providing information to borrowers and applicants on loan/grant programs, eligibility and funding
  • Assisting with review of loan applications for completeness and conformance with agency regulations

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

•  Must be 16 years of age.
•  Must be a high school graduate or equivalent.
•  Must be in good academic standing as defined by the educational institution.
•  Complete at least 640 hours of work experience prior to completion of degree.
•  Enrolled at least half-time at a qualifying educational institution.
•  A signed participant agreement is required for employment under Pathways each
    academic year while in the program.
•  Must be a US Citizen or lawfully admitted to US as a permanent resident.
•  To be eligible for appointment to this position, the new hire must be cleared.
    to come on board once the results of the fingerprint check, review of the OF-306,
    Declaration for Federal Employment, and the candidate’s   Electronic Questionnaires
    for Investigations Processing (eQIP) entries have been reviewed and determined to
    be satisfactory.  This position requires a favorable credit check as part of the
    background investigation.
•  Student Trainees must serve a 2-year trial period.
•  All requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including the following education requirements.

For the GS-03 level: Applicants must have completed 1 full academic year of post-high school study. (One full academic year is the number of credit hours determined by the college, university, or school to represent one year of full-time study).


Conversion
In addition to meeting the pathways requirements for conversion, an applicant converting to an Loan Specialist, GS-1165-05/07/09 is required to also meet the OPM Qualification Standards for the 1165 as stated below prior to converting.

Education:
Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- finance, business administration, economics, accounting, insurance, engineering, mathematics, banking and credit, law, real estate operations, statistics, or other fields related to the position, such as agriculture, agricultural economics, farm, livestock or ranch management, or rural sociology

OR

Experience:

General Experience (for GS-5 positions): Experience that required gathering and analyzing facts and figures, and presenting the information or conclusions in clear oral and written language; or that provided a knowledge of the principles of financial analysis or of insurance laws, such as contract, property, life, casualty, or marine insurance.

Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5): Experience that demonstrated competence in agricultural, commercial, realty, or other types of loans. Experience may have been gained in such work as reviewing and passing upon applications for agricultural, commercial, bank or mortgage loans; servicing a loan portfolio of a bank or other loan association; performing financial analysis of commercial concerns for investment purposes; appraising real estate to determine property valuation; or similar work.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). 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.

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.

Additional information

•  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.
•  Direct Deposit - Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of your choosing.
•  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.
•  If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed.
•  If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
• This position is eligible for telework and other flexible work arrangements under supervisor approval.
•  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).
• Locality pay will be set based on the duty location of selectee.

How you will be evaluated

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

Individuals will be evaluated against OPM qualification standard for the position being filled.  NOTE: To be considered for Pathways Internship positions, you must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements set forth in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards by the closing date of the announcement. A copy is available at:  http://www.opm .gov/qualifications/index.asp

Each applicant will receive a determination of eligible or ineligible.

We will review your application to ensure you meet the job requirements and assess your ability to perform this job. Before any certificate can be issued to the selecting official, the resume and supporting documents are reviewed by an HR Specialist to ensure that minimum qualification requirements are met.

Qualified applicants eligible for veterans preference will be referred and considered ahead of non-veterans.

Clicking the link below will present a preview of the application form; i.e. the online questionnaire. The application form link below will only provide a preview and does not initiate the application process. To initiate the online application process, click the "Apply Online" button to the right.
To view the application form, visit: https://rhs.usda.ntis.gov/cp/?event=jobs.previewApplication&jobid=754CFFA6-6DE2-4C08-B408-A8F900E8CE0D

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