Student Trainee - Plant Protection and Quarantine

Student Trainee (Plant Protection and Quarantine)

The incumbent of this position will be part of the Pathways Program as a Student Intern for a temporary duration of time. This program is designed to provide students enrolled in a variety of educational institutions, from high school to graduate level, with opportunities to work in agencies and explore Federal careers while still in school.

This job is open to: Students who have been accepted for enrollment or who are enrolled at least half-time in an accredited high school, college, professional, technical, vocational, or trade school pursuing a qualifying degree or certificate.

The duties may include, but are not limited to:

• Preparing specimens to be kept in a collection, labeling, handling, orienting, and processing entomology, botany, or pathology specimens with complete accession information.
• Adding all relevant information about specimens to an electronic database.
• Sorting identified specimens to the lowest taxonomic level.
• Photographing specimens and archiving images in the batabase.
• Examining the collection on a regular basis, and replacing old or unusable specimens with fresh, high quality specimens.
• Maintaining collections in clean, orderly, and pest-free state, communicating with the identifiers about material and possible steps to take in order to curate them adequately.
• Participating in field trapping, collection, and detection of insects and other agricultural pests as necessary.

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a US Citizen or US National.
• Individuals who were born male after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Must be in good academic standing as defined by their academic institution.
• Complete at least 640 hrs 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.
• Satisfactory Background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
• Successful completion of two-year trial period.
• Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/
• Must be available to work a regular schedule when classes are in session as well as during scheduled breaks.
• All USDA employees are required to be enrolled in Continuous Vetting, which authorizes government agencies to receive notifications of criminal activity on individuals who hold low risk, public trust, or national security positions.
• The incumbent will handle chemicals normally associated with collections of specimens, and will be required to use gloves, dust masks, and other personal protective equipment.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement, including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

ELIGIBILITY: Students who are currently enrolled or accepted for enrollment on at least a half-time basis at a qualifying educational institution in a certificate, degree, or diploma program.

Applicants can qualify by meeting the EDUCATION requirements specified below.

EDUCATION:
GS-4: Completion of 2 full academic years (60 semester or 90 quarter hours) of post-high school study or an associate's degree.

Preferred fields of study: Biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, or chemistry

Education

Upon graduation and completion of internship, you must meet the following requirement to be eligible for conversion to a permanent or term position:

Plant Protection and Quarantine Technician, 0421 series. Education requirements for conversion: Successful completion of 4 years of study that included at least 16 semester hours in courses such as: biology, plant pathology, entomology, zoology, botany, forestry, chemistry, agriculture, or physics or one year of specialized experience equivalent to a GS-04.

OR

Plant Protection and Quarantine Officer, 0401 series. Education requirements for conversion: Degree in Biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position, or courses equivalent to a major in a degree shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Additional information

The anticipated hours are 20 per week.

This is a temporary Pathways Internship Program appointment not-to-exceed one year and may be extended based on program needs and if the student meets program requirements.

Housing and travel expenses will not be paid.

This Internship confers eligibility for a noncompetitive conversion to a permanent or term position in the competitive service contingent upon meeting all applicable Internship Program requirements and the needs of the agency. You will be considered for conversion to a permanent or term position upon the successful completion of your Internship. However, please note that eligibility for conversion does not guarantee the agency will opt for conversion. The target position for this internship is Plant Protection and Quarantine Technician, GS-0421, full performance level GS-7, or Plant Protection and Quarantine Officer, GS-0401, full performance level GS-11.

If selected, official transcripts will be required prior to entrance on duty. Proof of enrollment or acceptance for the upcoming academic term or semester will also be required unless graduating in the current semester.

A Pathways Participant Agreement will be required if you are selected for a position. The agreement must be signed by all applicable parties prior to entrance on duty.

Student Interns must continue to meet the Pathways Program requirements throughout the duration of the appointment. Incumbents will be required to provide proof of continued enrollment and good standing each semester or grading period throughout the internship program. Failure to do so will result in termination of the appointment.

Worksite Information: This position is located at the duty station(s) listed in this vacancy announcement and is not eligible for telework or remote work.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here.

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

Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position.

Category rating procedures will be used to rank and select eligible candidates. The following quality categories will be used: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, and Qualified. Within each quality category, veterans' preference eligibles will receive selection priority over non-veterans. Your final category placement will be based on your responses to the assessment questionnaire.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.

To preview the application questionnaire, please visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12517633