The 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. This Student Trainee position will be filled as an Intern appointment. The appointment is indefinite and is expected to last for the duration of the student's academic attendance.
Summary
The 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. This Student Trainee position will be filled as an Intern appointment. The appointment is indefinite and is expected to last for the duration of the student's academic attendance.
Students who have been accepted for enrollment, or who are enrolled at least half-time, in an accredited high school, accredited home school, Dept. of Labor Job Corps Center, Forest Service Job Corps Center, Community College, professional, technical, vocational, trade school, or college, professional, technical, vocational, or trade school pursuing a qualifying degree or certificate.
Duties listed are at the highest grade level being advertised.
This is a trainee position in the Forestry Technician profession that performs basic duties and receives training in support of:
a unit's various forestry, recreation and natural resources management programs, such as timber and silviculture, recreation and trails, wildlife, fisheries, watershed improvement, range, special uses, and wildland fire.
On a scheduled basis, following the Pathways Participant Agreement, receives assignments in various Forest Service functions to gain an understanding of the various program concepts and operations.
Develops an understanding of the total mission as well as organizational/functional interrelationships and develop a foundation for more specialized application of knowledge gained from on-the-job training assignments.
Receives formal and on-the-job training in OPM, Department of Agriculture and Forest Service policies, rules, regulations, and procedures.
Is instructed on use of personal computers, and file and data management.
Must be at least 16 years of age and meet education requirements.
Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check
Must be a U.S. Citizen or National at the time of non-competitive conversion to a term or permanent position in the competitive service.
Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/.
The incumbents of Internship positions may be reassigned/relocated to any geographical location where the employee's services are needed as determined by management. Mobility agreement may be required.
Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
A signed participant agreement is required for employment under Pathways.
Complete at least 640 hours of work experience prior to graduation
Maintain Pathways program eligibility for the duration of the appointment.
Must be in good academic standing as defined by the educational institution.
Must be enrolled at least half-time in a qualifying educational institution seeking a qualifying degree or certificate.
The candidate's academic and career goals must be related to the position that they are appointed to.
May be required to successfully complete a probationary/trial period.
This may be a bargaining unit position represented by the National Federation of Federal Employees, IAMAW.
INTERNSHIP PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY
Applicants must meet Pathways Intern Program Eligibility Requirements as shown below by the closing date of the announcement. *Spring 2024 graduates will be required to provide proof of continued enrollment in the form of transcripts, acceptance letter or other appropriate documentation for Summer 2024 or Fall 2024 at the time of tentative selection. If no proof of continued enrollment is provided at that time, you will no longer be eligible for this internship.
You must meet the definition of a student that is, be currently enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a Job Corps Center, an accredited technical or vocational school, two-year or four-year college or university, graduate, or professional school. You must be taking at least a half-time academic course load leading to a degree or certificate. A certificate program is defined as a post-secondary education, in a qualifying educational institution, equivalent to at least one academic year of full-time study that is part of an accredited college-level, technical, trade, vocational, or business school curriculum.ยท Applicants must be seeking a degree (diploma, certificate, etc.) and be in good academic standing (GPA of 2.0 or equivalent) to qualify for the intern program and to stay throughout the duration of their intern program. *If your school uses an alternate grading system, you must submit proof and explanation of the grading system with your application or you will not be considered for this position.
Position Qualifications:
Applicants must meet position qualifications requirements as shown below at the time of appointment. Entrance on duty dates for appointment may be made as early as Spring of 2024. The agency must be able to verify that the education was completed successfully before the applicant can be appointed.
Basic Requirement:
The minimum qualification requirements for each grade level of this vacancy announcement are described below:
Note: One full academic year of undergraduate; graduate; vocational; trades; technical or high school is the number of credit hours by the college, university or school to represent one year of full-time study.
GS-02: Enrollment in a high school, accredited home school, or Job Corps center, or completion of high school or possession of a GED diploma and acceptance into an accredited technical or vocational school, two-year or four-year college or university, graduate, or professional school.
Optional Generalized experience for qualification for GS-02: Applicants who are current high school, accredited home school, or Job Corps center students may qualify based on 3 months of generalized experience performing duties in a business, volunteer, or home setting such as sorting mail, answering phones, weeding a garden, retail food preparation, gardening, or manual labor.
For GS-03: Completion of one full academic year of post-high school study
For GS-04: Completion of an associate's degree or 2 academic years of post-high school study
May be converted to any position with a Full Performance Level not to exceed GS-05. Conversion to a position with a full performance level of GS-05 is not guaranteed, you may or may not be offered conversion.
Education
Education completed in foreign colleges and universities may be used if it has been accredited or evaluated by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
POSITION INFORMATION
This announcement is associated with the 2024 Forest Service Summer Internships (SUM) Hiring Event. The target start date for these positions is Spring/Summer 2024.If you have questions regarding duty locations in this announcement please email sm.fs.pathways@usda.gov.
Please include the announcement number and the exact location(s) for which you have questions in your email.
This announcement may be used to fill intern positions with the possibility for conversion to positions with a full-time work schedule or a permanent seasonal work schedule. If the position has a permanent seasonal work schedule, full-time work is guaranteed for 13 pay periods or 18 pay periods; and when not working, you will be placed in non-pay/non-duty status.
The duty locations listed in this announcement include primary and alternate locations for available positions. You must select all duty locations for which you wish to be considered; final duty location for each position will be determined at the time of selection.
Selecting the "Location Negotiable after Selection" option in addition to selecting your preferred specific duty locations, implies your willingness to accept positions to alternative duty locations that may or may not have been indicated in this announcement. Final determination of duty station will be made by the selecting official at the time of job offer
The applicant should expect that these are all primarily field going positions, with a significant amount of physically challenging field work in natural resource settings. This could involve use of Forest Service vehicles, tools, and Personal Protective Equipment; hiking, exposure to weather extremes and wildlife, and in some cases, working extended hours or shifts, evening work and/or spending some nights at remote locations. These are developmental positions. Some require the appointee to sign a mobility agreement, requiring relocation after the initial developmental period.
Government Housing: May be available.
Daycare Availability: Forest Service daycare facilities are not available.
Promotion Potential: 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.
Training/IDP: This position requires 40 hours of formal, interactive training. An Individual Development Plan (IDP) must be completed and approved by the supervisor within 45 days of appointment.
Program Requirements: Interns may be non-competitively converted to a term or permanent position in the competitive service after the successful completion of the internship program. To be eligible for conversion, the Intern must meet the following:
Must be a U.S. Citizen at the time of non-competitive conversion to a term or permanent position.
Complete at least 640 hours of work experience acquired through the Internship program prior to graduation.
Complete a degree or certificate program from a qualifying educational institution.
Receive a favorable recommendation by supervisor.
Meet the OPM Qualification Standards for the position to which the Intern may be converted. Conversion is not guaranteed and is based on the needs of the agency.
Meet any agency specific requirements as outlined in the Participant Agreement.
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.
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.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
For GS-02: Please note, these positions are targeted toward students attending or finishing education in a high school, home school, Job Corps center, or in the beginning of their undergraduate/certificate education in an accredited community college, university, college, or technical or vocational school.
For GS-03 or 04: Please note, these positions are targeted toward students in the beginning of their undergraduate/certificate education.
These positions have a targeted effective date of Spring 2024. The tour of duty is full-time and may be filled at the GS-02, GS-03,GS-04 grade level. Conversion series and full performance of the position will be determined at time of job offer.
Applicants must meet position qualifications requirements as shown below at the time of appointment.
If you are graduating in the same semester or term in which you are appointed, you must be able to complete 640 work hours prior to graduation. Spring 2024 graduates will be required to provide proof of continued enrollment for Fall 2024 at time of tentative selection and at each semester/term during employment as an intern. If no proof of continued enrollment is provided, you will be deemed ineligible for an internship.
Entrance on duty dates for appointment may be made as early as Spring/Summer of 2024. The agency must be able to verify that the education was completed successfully before the applicant can be appointed.
The tour of duty is full-time and may be filled at the GS-03, GS-04, GS-05 grade level. Conversion series and full performance of the position will be determined at time of job offer.
Before you submit an application for any of our vacancies, you should completely review the announcement and requirements. You should only apply for positions you meet the required minimum qualifications AND program requirements described in the announcement. Do not apply to a duty location if you are not willing to accept or travel to that location. If you have reviewed the announcement and believe that you meet both the minimum qualifications and the program requirements, you should document your experience and education in your resume. Since traditional resumes do not provide all the information needed to determine your status, you should create a more detailed resume to use when applying to Federal 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.
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 must be submitted for your application package to be considered complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in the mail service, system failure or downtime, etc. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.
1. Cover letter - optional (one page maximum)
2. Resume that includes: 1) personal information such as name, address, contact information; vacancy announcement number, title, series, and grade of the position for which you are applying; 2) education (may include coursework relevant to the position for which you are applying); 3) detailed work experience including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series and grade (if applicable; 4) supervisor's phone number and e-mail address for each work period listed and whether or not the supervisory may contacted for a reference checks; 5) references (minimum of two); 6) other qualifications; and 8) graduation date (actual or anticipated).
3. College Transcripts - An unofficial copy is sufficient; however, if selected, an official transcript will be required prior to entering on duty. Transcripts, both unofficial and official, should include your full name, name of the school, current GPA/academic standing, past and current coursework, and degree program. If your school does not provide transcripts or the transcript does not provide all the necessary information listed above, you should include additional academic documentation from the school that meets the requirements above. This additional documentation may include a letter from the school's registrar's office or official enrollment verification. Education must have been successfully completed and obtained from an accredited school, college, or university. Foreign education must be evaluated by an approved organization. For additional information, refer to the U.S. Department of Education web site at http://www.ed.gov. All transcripts must be in English or include English translation.
4. Acceptance letter - If you have recently graduated or are expected to graduate in the current or next term you must also include an official acceptance letter along with your transcripts to verify you are continuing your education.
5. If claiming veteran's preference, you must submit a Certificate of Release or Discharge of Active Duty (DD-214), 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 not later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted. If claiming 10-point preference you must also provide proof of entitlement of this preference as listed on the SF-15 Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference. The SF-15 should be included but is not required. You will receive veteran's preference based solely on the documentation provided with your application. For more information on veterans' preference see https://www.fedshirevets.gov/job-seekers/veterans/veterans-preference/.
NOTE: You may update your application package for an open announcement. Log in to your USAJOBS account. Follow the USAJOBS prompts to navigate to your application package. If you have added or replaced a document(s), you must click on the Documents link at the top of the page then choose the document(s) from the Available Documents drop-down list.
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 view Tips for Applicants - a guide to the Forest Service application process.
Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.
Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m., Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon ET 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 the Agency Contact to request this.
To begin, in USAJOBS click "Apply" and follow the instructions to attach your resume and supporting documents, complete the assessment questionnaire, and submit your application.
Note: You must indicate by your responses to the questionnaire, all categories of eligibilities for which you would like to be considered. You will only be considered for the eligibilities that you select.
USDA Forest Service HRM Contact Center
DO NOT MAIL IN APPLICATIONS, SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT.
Albuquerque, NM 87109
US
Next steps
Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. Qualified individuals with veteran's preference are listed ahead of individuals who do not have veteran's preference. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS account at https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login to check your application status. We expect to make a final job offer approximately 40 days after the deadline for applications.
You must choose to turn on email notifications in your USAJOBS profile if you want to receive important email notifications that may impact your applicant experience (e.g., If you start an application and do not submit it prior to the closing date, USAJOBS will send an email reminder that the closing date is approaching, and your application is in an incomplete status).
Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
The following documents must be submitted for your application package to be considered complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in the mail service, system failure or downtime, etc. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.
1. Cover letter - optional (one page maximum)
2. Resume that includes: 1) personal information such as name, address, contact information; vacancy announcement number, title, series, and grade of the position for which you are applying; 2) education (may include coursework relevant to the position for which you are applying); 3) detailed work experience including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series and grade (if applicable; 4) supervisor's phone number and e-mail address for each work period listed and whether or not the supervisory may contacted for a reference checks; 5) references (minimum of two); 6) other qualifications; and 8) graduation date (actual or anticipated).
3. College Transcripts - An unofficial copy is sufficient; however, if selected, an official transcript will be required prior to entering on duty. Transcripts, both unofficial and official, should include your full name, name of the school, current GPA/academic standing, past and current coursework, and degree program. If your school does not provide transcripts or the transcript does not provide all the necessary information listed above, you should include additional academic documentation from the school that meets the requirements above. This additional documentation may include a letter from the school's registrar's office or official enrollment verification. Education must have been successfully completed and obtained from an accredited school, college, or university. Foreign education must be evaluated by an approved organization. For additional information, refer to the U.S. Department of Education web site at http://www.ed.gov. All transcripts must be in English or include English translation.
4. Acceptance letter - If you have recently graduated or are expected to graduate in the current or next term you must also include an official acceptance letter along with your transcripts to verify you are continuing your education.
5. If claiming veteran's preference, you must submit a Certificate of Release or Discharge of Active Duty (DD-214), 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 not later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted. If claiming 10-point preference you must also provide proof of entitlement of this preference as listed on the SF-15 Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference. The SF-15 should be included but is not required. You will receive veteran's preference based solely on the documentation provided with your application. For more information on veterans' preference see https://www.fedshirevets.gov/job-seekers/veterans/veterans-preference/.
NOTE: You may update your application package for an open announcement. Log in to your USAJOBS account. Follow the USAJOBS prompts to navigate to your application package. If you have added or replaced a document(s), you must click on the Documents link at the top of the page then choose the document(s) from the Available Documents drop-down list.
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 view Tips for Applicants - a guide to the Forest Service application process.
Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.
Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m., Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon ET 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 the Agency Contact to request this.
To begin, in USAJOBS click "Apply" and follow the instructions to attach your resume and supporting documents, complete the assessment questionnaire, and submit your application.
Note: You must indicate by your responses to the questionnaire, all categories of eligibilities for which you would like to be considered. You will only be considered for the eligibilities that you select.
USDA Forest Service HRM Contact Center
DO NOT MAIL IN APPLICATIONS, SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT.
Albuquerque, NM 87109
US
Next steps
Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. Qualified individuals with veteran's preference are listed ahead of individuals who do not have veteran's preference. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS account at https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login to check your application status. We expect to make a final job offer approximately 40 days after the deadline for applications.
You must choose to turn on email notifications in your USAJOBS profile if you want to receive important email notifications that may impact your applicant experience (e.g., If you start an application and do not submit it prior to the closing date, USAJOBS will send an email reminder that the closing date is approaching, and your application is in an incomplete status).
Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
