Student Trainee (Agronomy)

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National or be lawfully permitted to the U.S. as a permanent resident or otherwise authorized to be employed. Must be a U.S. citizen at the time of conversion to the competitive service.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt
• Must be in good academic standing as defined by USDA as a cumulative GPS of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale
• 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/
• This position requires the incumbent to possess a valid state driver's license.
• 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.
• The candidate's academic and career goals must be related to the position that they are appointed to.

Qualifications

Program Eligibility Requirements:

Applicant must meet the definition of a student that is, be enrolled or accepted for enrollment in 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.

• Applicants must be in good academic standing (GPA of 2.5 or equivalent) to qualify for the intern program and to stay throughout the duration of their intern in, or related to, the internship opportunity being advertised.
• Examples of relevant educational fields for this position include but are not limited to: agronomy; or related discipline of science that includes agronomic subjects, such as those dealing with plant breeding, crop production, and soil and crop management or other natural resource-related disciplines that will allow applicants to qualify for the conversion requirements listed below.

Position Qualifications: Applicants must meet position qualifications requirements as shown below at the time of appointment. The agency must be able to verify that the education was completed successfully before the applicant can be appointed.

Below is the education requirement to be qualified for this position:

• GS-02: Completion of high school or possession of a GED diploma.
• GS-03: Completion of 1 full academic year of post-high school study.
• GS-04: Completion of 2 full academic years of post-high school study or an associate's degree.

One full academic year of undergraduate education is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours or the equivalent as defined by the accredited college or university.

One full academic year of graduate education is defined as 18 semester hours or the equivalent as defined by the accredited college or university.

Conversion Information: Candidates selected from this announcement may be eligible for non-competitive conversion to a permanent position in the competitive service, provided that all terms of the Internship Program are met and there is an available position. Conversion is not mandatory or guaranteed and is at agency discretion.

Pathways Interns may convert to a permanent position for which they qualify for (e.g., GS-0471) as outlined in the intern's Pathways agreement. Upon conversion to the competitive service, this position will have a career ladder up to the GS-11 full performance level. To be eligible for conversion, you must satisfactorily complete all Pathways Program requirements:

• Complete at least 640 hours of work experience prior to graduation;
• Complete all mandatory training requirements;
• Meet performance expectations and be recommended for conversion;
• Meet suitability requirements; and
• Meet the position's Qualification Requirements of the associated occupational series as outlined in the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, General Schedule Qualifications Standards. See the link below:

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=0400-ndx

GS-0471 Basic Requirement:

Degree: agronomy; or related discipline of science that included at least 30 semester hours of course work in the basic plant sciences, including at least 15 semester hours in agronomic subjects, such as those dealing with plant breeding, crop production, and soil and crop management.

If selected you must report no later than June 2025 to begin the internship.

Student Trainees will perform the following duties under direct supervision. Assignments will be developmental in nature and will assist the employee in gaining the competencies necessary for a career.

This paid internship may offer additional Recruitment and Relocation incentives. This internship may allow for Student Load Repayment Program opportunities. Please see additional information in the announcement below.