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Student Trainee (Engineering)

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Reclamation
Upper Colorado Basin, Provo Area Office
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Summary

Reclamation is seeking a career professional looking for an opportunity to capitalize on their expertise as a Student Trainee (Engineering). You can make a difference in the West by assisting in meeting increasing water demands while protecting the environment.


Duty Location: Provo, Utah

For information on Provo, Utah click here.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
09/16/2024 to 10/21/2024
Salary
$17.35 to - $24.65 per hour
Pay scale & grade
GS 4 - 5
Location
3 vacancies in the following location:
Provo, UT
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Internships
Work schedule
Part-time - Full-time or Part-time (between 16-32 hours per week) depending on school schedule.
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
11
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
BOR-UCB-24-PW-12543994-AE
Control number
809702900

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

All currently enrolled Engineering students or those who are accepted for enrollment and current interns seeking a degree (diploma, certificate, etc.) in a qualifying educational institution, including preference eligibles (veterans) meeting these criteria.

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Duties

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Under the direction of the supervisor or higher graded employee, the incumbent performs, assists in, and continues to learn about the specialized work of their assigned area:

  • Continue to learn and perform more difficult developmental assignments under the direction of the supervisor or higher graded employee.
  • Assist professional engineers in conducting engineering studies and analyses by reviewing and presenting data in accordance with established methods.
  • Perform, assist in, or continue to learn about the work of the assigned areas through developmental assignments.
  • Extract data from a variety of prescribed but non-standardized sources and processes the data according to well-defined methods and designated formulas.
  • Assist as necessary or as requested with other field activities such as facility operation and maintenance (O&M) reviews, substantial change project monitoring, hydrologic sonar surveys, site visits, etc.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National.
You must be suitable for federal employment, determined by a background investigation.
You must submit a resume and supporting documentation (see Required Documents).
You must be at least 16 years old at the time of appointment.
You must be a student who has been accepted for enrollment or is currently enrolled and seeking a degree or certificate in a qualifying educational institution, at least part-time.
You must be in good academic standing as defined by the school you are attending.
You must submit eligibility documents for veterans consideration (see Required Documents).
You must meet any minimum education and/or experience requirements (see Qualifications).
You must submit transcript(s) to verify education requirements (see Qualifications/Education).

Who May Apply:

  • Pathways - Internship Indefinite


All Interns must meet all eligibility and qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement, 10/21/2024. In addition, they must continue to meet these eligibility requirements throughout the duration of the appointment. Students that have graduated are not eligible for this position.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

To qualify for this position at the GS-04 grade level: Successful completion of at least two full academic years of post-high school study or an associate's degree. You must include transcripts.

To qualify for this position at the GS-05 grade level: Successful completion of at least four academic years of post-high school leading to a bachelor's degree or equivalent degree. You must include transcripts.

A period of student trainee work experience is equal to 320 hours of work experience.

Academic Year: At the undergraduate level, 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours is comparable to 1 year of undergraduate education. Four years of progressive study or 120 semester hours meets the degree requirements. At the graduate level, 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours.

This position has a positive education requirement for conversion. The required education must lead to a degree with specialization in or directly related to the field in which the student trainee is participating in the Intern program. The degree of specialization in this field must satisfy, on graduation, the specific requirements as listed in the qualification standard for professional engineering positions. Review the positive education requirements at: Engineering and Architecture Student Trainee Series, 0899 (opm.gov).

The term positive education requirement (also called a basic education requirement) refers to an Office of Personnel Management (OPM) determination that the duties of a scientific, technical, or professional position cannot be performed by an individual that does not have the prescribed minimum education.

The specific qualification requirements for scientific and professional positions must also be met in order to be converted. Please review the specific qualification requirements for scientific and professional positions at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=GS-PROF

Individuals serving in Intern-indefinite appointments may be non-competitively converted to a permanent position within 120 days of successful completion of the program, but conversion is neither promised nor guaranteed. To be eligible for conversion to a permanent or term position, these Interns must also:

  • Be a U.S. Citizen or National;
  • Complete at least 640 hours of work experience acquired through the Internship Program;
  • Complete their degree or certificate requirements;
  • Meet the Office of Personnel Management's qualification standards for the position to which the Intern will be converted (which may include a positive education requirement);
  • Meet all agency and program specific requirements as specified in their individual Participant Agreement;
  • Perform their job successfully as documented through performance evaluations; and
  • Be recommended for conversion by their manager or supervisor.
If converted to permanent or term appointment, the anticipated target position is Civil Engineering, GS-0810-11; however, that may change based on the need of the organization at that time. The full performance level of the target position will be dependent on the type of position and will be determined at the time of conversion.

Education

Accreditation: Only education from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education is acceptable to meet education requirements or to substitute for experience, if applicable. For additional info, refer to the Office of Personnel Management and U.S. Department of Education.

Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. For additional info, refer to the U.S. Network for Education Information.

You will be required to provide official college transcripts to verify educational qualifications, if selected. An official transcript must be sent directly from the University's Registrar's office and must be provided from the institution awarding the degree. Academic transcripts certified by notary publics are NOT official. Official transcripts must be submitted prior to reporting to work as a condition of employment. Failure to submit official transcripts may be grounds for dismissal or rescission of the job offer.

Interns must provide a copy of up-to-date transcripts (unofficial) at the end of each academic year, unless requested more frequently by the supervisor or Human Resources Office, for verification of enrollment and academic standing as proof of continuing eligibility for participation in the Intern Program.

Additional information

This is a career development opportunity in the excepted service under the Bureau of Reclamation Pathways Internship Program. It is designed to provide students currently enrolled in a wide variety of educational institutions, from high school to graduate level, with opportunities to work and get paid while exploring Federal careers. The candidate selected to fill the position will be required to complete a Participant Agreement the spells out the requirements of the program, including an anticipated date for completing educational requirements related to the full performance grade level of the position.

If the position is filled at the lower-grade level, subsequent promotion to the next higher-grade level per the target full performance is permissible without further competition. Promotion is not guaranteed or promised but dependent upon administrative approval and the agency's continuing need for an actual assignment and performance at the higher-level duties.

For more information about the Pathways Internship program please visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/students-recent-graduates/#url=Program-Fact-Sheets

The entire period served as an Intern-indefinite is creditable toward completion of the required probationary period for initial appointment to a position in the competitive service. Prior Federal civilian service is credited toward the completion of the required probationary period in the same manner as prescribed in 5 CFR 315.802.

This opportunity is intended for (but not limited to) students who are pursuing a degree path, courses, or have the career goal of employment in the field of employment in the field of Engineering.

You may be required to serve an initial probationary period.

Reclamation has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and you may be allowed to telework with supervisory approval.

DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including applicant rights and responsibilities, please visit https://www.e-verify.gov/

This position is designated as a LOW RISK position. It requires a fully completed and favorably adjudicated SF85 Background Investigation (T1 or equivalent) that is current (within the last 5 years). This is a condition of employment.

Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must certify registration with the Selective Service System or that the applicant is exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Go to: https://www.sss.gov

This is a non-bargaining unit position.

Must be able to physically report to the duty location in Provo, UT.

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.

Housing is not provided.

How you will be evaluated

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

After the vacancy announcement closes, a Human Resources Office representative will review your application/resume to ensure you meet the basic eligibility and minimum qualification requirements of the job. Your eligibility and qualification status will be based on an assessment questionnaire conducted using qualification standards, your responses to job-related questions, information provided in your resume, and required supporting documents (see the Required Documents section). Applicant's answers to questions will be verified against information provided in their online resume. Be sure that the resume clearly supports the responses to all the questions by addressing experience, education and/or training relevant to this position.

Veterans' preference applies to the selection for positions in the Pathways Program. The examination and selection of applicants will be made in accordance with the requirements of 5 CFR 302.

Applicants must make a fair and accurate assessment of their qualifications. Applicants rating themselves higher than is apparent in their description of experience, competencies, skills, and/or education/training OR whose resume/application is incomplete may be removed from employment consideration.

Eligible, qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring official in an unranked order by preference status: (1) Preference eligible having a compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more (CPS and CP); (2) Other preference eligible; (XP); (3) Applicants eligible for 5-point veterans' preference (TP); and (4) Applicants not eligible for veteran's preference (NV).

The application questionnaire can be previewed here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12543994

Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other Bureaus/Offices within the Department of the Interior (DOI) who have vacancies with the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in the same geographic location(s). Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration. You may choose to opt in of having your information shared with other agencies when applying for this position. If an agency requests a copy of a certificate you are on, you will be notified.

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