Job summary

About the Position: This announcement covers a variety of Student Trainee positions under the Direct Hire Authority for Post-Secondary Students. This is an Open Continuous Job Announcement with a closing date of December 31, 2024. Applicants must reapply every 90 days to remain eligible for consideration. Resumes will be pulled as vacancies occur within each district.

Major duties

Post-secondary student positions are provided opportunities for development and training. Assignments become more responsible as incumbent increases knowledge and skills through work experience and academic training. Assignments at this level are designed to orient, train, and increase the incumbent's knowledge in the engineering sciences, to problems concerned with testing a wide variety of systems and equipment. Performs a variety of assignments selected to broaden skills and provide practical experience to prepare for progressively more complex assignments. Full performance duties typically involve creating, exploring, evaluating, designing, and sharing solutions and the validity of their predicted performance to resolve problems, conditions, and issues.

Qualification

Vacancies may not exist in every series at this time or at all sites. In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant education and experience. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. To qualify at the GS-03 grade level, applicants must have completed one full academic year of post-high school study relevant to the position/series. To qualify at the GS-04 grade level, applicants must have completed two full academic years of post-high school study or have an associate's degree relevant to the position/series. To qualify at the GS-05 grade level, applicants must have completed the following: As a Community Planning (0099) student trainee: A). A bachelor's degree (or higher) in community planning; or related field such as urban affairs, architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, sociology, geography, economics, political science, or public administration that included at least 12 semester hours in the planning process, socioeconomic and physical elements of planning, urban and regional economic analysis, and development finance; OR B). A combination of education and experience which includes courses equivalent to a major in one of the above disciplines, or a combination of related courses totaling at least 24 semester hours in any combination of the above disciplines of which at least 12 semester hours were in the planning process, and socioeconomic and physical elements of planning, plus appropriate experience or additional education. As a Geography (0199) student trainee: A). A bachelor's degree (or higher) in geography; or related physical or social science such as geology, meteorology, economics, statistics, sociology, anthropology, political science, history, cartography, computer science, urban studies, or planning that included at least 24 semester hours in geography or related fields; OR B). A combination of education and experience which includes courses equivalent to a major in geography, or a related field that included at least 24 semester hours in geography or related fields, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. As a Biology (0499) student trainee: A). A bachelor's degree (or higher) in biological science, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related discipline appropriate to the position; OR B). A combination of education and experience which includes course equivalent to a major shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. As an Accountant (0599) student trainee: A. A bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in accounting, or a degree in a related field such as business administration, finance, or public administration that included or was supplemented by 24 semester hours in accounting. The 24 hours may include up to 6 hours of credit in business law. B. A combination of education and experience which includes at least 4 years of experience in accounting, or an equivalent combination of accounting experience, college-level education, and training that provided professional accounting knowledge. A background which also includes one of the following: (1) Twenty-four semester hours in accounting or auditing courses of appropriate type and quality. This can include up to 6 hours of business law; OR (2) A certificate as Certified Public Accountant or a Certified Internal Auditor, obtained through written examination; OR (3) Completion of the requirements for a degree that included substantial course work in accounting or auditing, e.g., 15 semester hours, but that does not fully satisfy the 24-semester-hour requirement of paragraph A, provided that (a) the applicant has successfully worked at the full-performance level in accounting, auditing, or a related field, e.g., valuation engineering or financial institution examining; AND (b) a panel of at least two higher level professional accountants or auditors has determined that the applicant has demonstrated a good knowledge of accounting and of related and underlying fields that equals in breadth, depth, currency, and level of advancement that which is normally associated with successful completion of the 4-year course of study described in paragraph A; AND (c) except for literal nonconformance to the requirement of 24 semester hours in accounting, the applicant's education, training, and experience fully meet the specified requirements. As an Engineering (0899) student trainee: A). Applicants must meet the Individual Occupational Requirements for all Professional Engineering positions, to be fully qualified at the GS-05 grade level. As a Geology (1399) student trainee: A). A bachelor's degree (or higher) in geology, plus 20 additional semester hours in any combination of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biological science, structural, chemical, civil, mining or petroleum engineering, computer science, planetary geology, comparative planetology, geophysics, meteorology, hydrology, oceanography, physical geography, marine geology, and cartography; OR B). A combination of education and experience which includes course equivalent to a major shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. As a Mathematics/Statistics (1599) student trainee: A). A bachelor's degree (or higher) in Mathematics, statistics, or actuarial science. The degree must be in a major field of study (at least at the baccalaureate level) that is appropriate for the position; OR B). Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major field of study as shown in paragraph A above, plus additional education or appropriate experience. To qualify at the GS-07 grade level, applicants must have completed the following: As a Community Planning (0099) student trainee: A). One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the federal service which includes assisting in the development and analysis of general planning formulation and evaluation processes (i.e., urban and regional study/report preparation, or environmental legislation); assisting with the preparation of formal community meetings with internal/external customers (i.e., Congressional, Federal, State, local agencies, and elected officials); OR B). One full academic year of graduate level education in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as urban affairs, architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, sociology, geography, economics, political science, or public administration. As a Geography (0199) student trainee: A). One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the federal service which includes reviewing permit applications under established federal regulations such as land management regulations, the Clean Water Act, or state land use/resources programs to ensure completeness and clarity of proposed work description; participating in field investigations to collect data on aquatic resources or fish/wildlife habitat; and preparing reports utilizing/synthesizing data; OR B). One full academic year of graduate level education in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as geography. NOTE: Qualification Requirements continue under the "Education" section.

Education

NOTE: Continued Qualification Requirements: To qualify at the GS-07 grade level, applicants must have completed the following: As a Biology (0499) student trainee: A). One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the federal service which includes applying biological practices, principles and techniques sufficient to assist in the recommendations of planning and implementing environmental, recreational and natural resource management activities; OR B). One full academic year of graduate level education in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as biological science, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or a related discipline/academic program. As an Accountant (0599) student trainee: A. I have a bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in accounting/auditing, or a degree in a related field such as business administration, finance, or public administration that included or was supplemented by 24 semester hours in accounting. The 24 hours may include up to 6 hours of credit in business law. B. I have a combination of education and experience which includes at least 4 years of experience in accounting/auditing, or an equivalent combination of accounting experience, college-level education, and training that provided professional accounting knowledge. My background also includes one of the following: (1) Twenty-four semester hours in accounting or auditing courses of appropriate type and quality. This can include up to 6 hours of business law; OR (2) A certificate as Certified Public Accountant or a Certified Internal Auditor, obtained through written examination; OR (3) Completion of the requirements for a degree that included substantial course work in accounting or auditing, e.g., 15 semester hours, but that does not fully satisfy the 24-semester-hour requirement of paragraph A, provided that (a) the applicant has successfully worked at the full-performance level in accounting, auditing, or a related field, e.g., valuation engineering or financial institution examining; AND (b) a panel of at least two higher level professional accountants or auditors has determined that the applicant has demonstrated a good knowledge of accounting and of related and underlying fields that equals in breadth, depth, currency, and level of advancement that which is normally associated with successful completion of the 4-year course of study described in paragraph A; AND (c) except for literal nonconformance to the requirement of 24 semester hours in accounting, the applicant's education, training, and experience fully meet the specified requirements. As an Engineering (0899) student trainee: A). One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the federal service which includes searching technical reports to obtain information relating to projects; applying basic formulas to routine calculations; OR B). One full academic year of graduate level education in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as engineering. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.). As a Geology (1399) student trainee: A). One year of specialist experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the federal service which includes compiling basic geological data (i.e., stratigraphic columns, fence diagrams, cross-sections, rose diagrams, structural contours and building GIS models) to contribute to reports on scientific data, conditions, and problems; OR B). One full academic year of graduate level education in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as geology, physical science. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.). As a Mathematics/Statistics (1599) student trainee: A). One year of specialist experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the federal service which includes using statistical methods and analysis software to assist with researching, implementing, or planning surveys and developing reports; OR B). One full academic year of graduate level education in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as mathematics, statistics, or actuarial science. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.). Applicants may also qualify at the GS-07 grade level if they meet one of the following: C). Superior Academic Achievement as defined in the group qualifications for Professional & Scientific positions; OR D). Specialized experience as described in A, but less than one year; and have some graduate level education as described in B, but less than the required one year. Compute the percentage of the requirements that is meet, and the total must be 100%. (To compute the percentage, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then, divide your semester hours of graduate education by 18. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify.) FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Evaluations

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility. You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation. Veterans and Military Spouses will be considered along with all other candidates.