Nebraska Natural Resources Conservation Service Geology Pathways Student Intern
Nebraska Natural Resources Conservation Service will begin the recruitment process for at Geology Pathways Student Intern in mid-October, 2020. The Internship Program provides students enrolled in a wide variety of qualifying educational institutions with paid opportunities to work in federal agencies and explore career paths related to their academic field of study or career interests. Students who successfully complete academic and Program requirements may be eligible for non-competitive conversion to a term or permanent position in the civil service.
Public Notification - A USAJOBS announcement or advertisement is required.
Veterans’ Preference - Veterans’ preference applies.
Appointment Length - Initial period expected to last more than one year. Program end is generally the Intern’s projected graduation date, plus 120 days of conversion eligibility.
Schedule - Interns may work full- or part-time schedules, but not intermittent schedules. Geology Summer Field Camp can be worked around.
Type of Work - Meaningful work that supports Agency needs and the Intern’s academic field of study or career interests. Simple administrative or clerical tasks, such as scanning documents or filing, are not assigned as primary duties.
Conversion Eligibility - Yes. Upon completion of academic and Program requirements that the Job Opportunity Announcement (JOA) used to fill her or his position stated the possibility of conversion, Interns may be non-competitively converted to the competitive service.
Appointments
Interns may be appointed to any grade level for which they qualify. The duties of the position to which an Intern is appointed must be related to her or his academic field of study or career interests.
Eligibility
Interns and Interns NTE must:
• Be accepted for enrollment or enrolled and seeking a degree or certificate in a qualifying educational institution on a full- or half-time basis (as determined by the educational institution);
• Meet the definition of a student throughout the duration of their appointments;
• Meet the academic standards set forth by their agencies; and
• Meet the qualification standards (e.g., series and grade) for their Internship positions.
In addition to the government-wide eligibility requirements noted above, agencies may use requirements such as the ability to work a specified number of hours per week, be in good academic standing or be able to work in the specific location(s) listed in the JOA as eligibility criteria. These criteria may be referenced in the agency’s Pathways Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the JOA and/or the Participant Agreement.
Program Requirements
Interns are required to:
• Provide proof of their academic status;
• Maintain good academic standing, as defined by the educational institutions that they are attending;
• Complete their Participant Agreement and obtain signatures from her or his supervisor and the HR official;
• Remain students as long as they are employed under the Internship Program by their agencies;
• Perform their jobs successfully; and
• Meet any other agency-specific requirements outlined in their Participant Agreements.
In addition to these requirements, OPM recommends that any Intern appointed for longer than 90 days be placed on an Individual Development Plan (IDP) to create and track her or his career planning, professional development, and training activities.
Breaks in Program
A break in program is defined as a period of time in which an Intern is working, but unable to attend classes, or is neither attending classes nor working. While breaks in program are not common, they are permissible in certain circumstances (e.g., medical leave, financial hardship or military service). An agency may use its discretion to either approve or deny a request for a break in program, as well as determine the length of the break.
Agencies should establish a policy that defines breaks in program, as well as limits the allowable number of breaks in program to ensure that Interns make progress toward completing their academic and Program requirements in a reasonable timeframe.
Conversion
Interns are eligible for conversion to a term or permanent position the competitive service once all academic and Program requirements have been met. Interns must:
• Be a United States citizen;
• Complete at least 640 hours of work experience acquired through the Program while enrolled as a full- or half-time degree- or certificate-seeking student;
• Complete a course of academic study, within the preceding 120-day period, at a qualifying educational institution conferring a diploma, certificate or degree;
• Meet the qualification standards for the position to which they will be converted;
• Receive a favorable recommendation by an official of the agency or agencies in which she or he served; and
• Meet any other agency-specific requirements outlined in their Participant Agreements.
An agency may grant credit for up to one half (320 hours) of the 640-hour service requirement for:
• Outstanding academic achievement and exceptional job performance;
• Other comparable federal or non-federal (e.g., third-party) internship experience; or
• Certain active duty military or volunteer service.
Conversion to the competitive service must take place within 120 days of successful degree completion for both Interns and Interns NTE. If eligible Interns are not converted within this window of time, then they must be terminated. The 120-day period cannot be used for the Intern to finish any remaining Program requirements—it should be used solely for administrative purposes. An Intern may be converted to a position within the employing agency or any other agency across government.
While intent to convert Interns NTE should be rare, it is possible. An Intern NTE may be non-competitively converted to the competitive service provided that she or he has met all academic and Program requirements, and that the JOA used to fill her or his position stated the possibility of conversion. In order for Interns NTE who were hired without the possibility of non-competitive conversion to be converted to longer term, indefinite Interns, they must compete for these opportunities.
Separations and Terminations
An Intern may be separated for any reason to include misconduct, poor performance or suitability; upon expiration of her or his temporary appointment; or 120 days after completion of her or his academic program, unless she or he is selected for non-competitive conversion to the competitive service.