The Pathways Internship Program allows students to join VA in career positions that emphasize long-term training and development. The incumbent serves as a Student Trainee stationed at the Aleda E Lutz Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, located within the Office of Information and Technology Service. You must be willing to relocate.*** THIS IS A YEAR-ROUND INTERNSHIP AND NOT SEASONAL***

Duties

This position is being filled under the Pathways Internship Program. The program is designed to provide students enrolled in a wide variety of educational institutions, from high school to graduate level, with paid work opportunities in agencies to explore Federal careers while still in school. The Internship provides managers a ready source of student employees and potential permanent employees upon completion of the program requirements. It also provides the student with work experience directly related to the curriculum studies or career goals while offering eligibility for non-competitive conversion to permanent employment upon completion. For more information on Internship opportunities within the Department of Veterans Affairs, please visit: https://www.va.gov/EMPLOYEE/pathways-internship-program/. Duties of the Student Trainee NTE Intern may include but are not limited to: Performs selected tasks and phases of routine studies and projects that require application of basic occupational field theory and principles in the technical area of information technology. Working under the guidance of and in close association with senior personnel performs a variety of work assignments consisting of established, specific, and related tasks that have been selected to orient the employee in the practical application of basic principles, concepts, and techniques of the occupational field. Assignments are selected on the basic of their progressive training value for the individual. Attends training classes and activities as directed. Participates with senior IT Specialist in conducting non-routine projects. Studies VA requirements for the projects and researches and studies the current body of precedents and technical knowledges. Receives specific information and explanations on projects, e.g., specifications and basic steps and tasks to be performed. Performs segments of the project work as delegated by senior personnel, continually coordinating with the senior personnel. Analyzes information or data gleaned from project results, documents project findings, and prepares reports of findings. Searches technical literature, reports, and other reference material to locate information requested by senior personnel. Provides assistance in planning, monitoring, and conducting special studies, projects, and initiatives. Assists senior personnel in determining the validity, feasibility, achievability, and efficiency of special studies, projects, and initiatives, and participates in planning the studies, projects, and initiatives. Attends meetings to observe interactions and understand working relationships with customers, specialist, and other organizational points of contact. Assists in the collection and analysis of information and data, the documentation of findings, and the development of reports. Participates in the evaluation of project results and makes recommendations for improvement in study and project procedures. Participates in all aspects of the VA Medical Center information technology program to include Help Desk phone support and in person support at the Help Desk office. The incumbent performs user account documentation account creation, user account password resetting, desktop, application support, mainframe account support and general assistance for staff who call or walk-in. Ability to enter information into Help Desk software there-by assigning issues to IT staff on-site visits is critical. Provides menu and account support for VISTA and LAN users. Work Schedule: Part time, 20 hours per week - Between the hours of 8:00am - 4:30pm

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/22/2024. Internship Program: To be eligible, applicants must be accepted for enrollment or currently enrolled and seeking a degree (diploma, certificate, etc.) in a qualifying educational institution, on a full or half-time basis as defined by the institution in which you are enrolled. Pathways Internship Program Requirements: Must be enrolled or accepted as a degree-seeking student in an accredited school. Must be taking at least half-time academic course load. Must maintain student eligibility and enrollment during the duration of the internship. Must maintain good academic standing, as defined by your school, generally at least a 2.0 Grade Point Average (GPA) for undergraduate programs (cumulative; no rounding) and a 3.0 GPA for advanced degree programs. To be eligible, applicants must be accepted for enrollment or currently enrolled and seeking a degree from an accredited school, college (including 4-year colleges/universities, community colleges, and junior colleges); professional, technical, vocational, and trade school; advanced degree programs; or other qualifying educational institution pursuing a qualifying degree or certificate on a full or half-time basis as defined by the institution in which you are enrolled. You must submit official documentation that clearly demonstrates your enrollment in a program. You may qualify based on education and/or experience as described below: GS-05: Completion of 4 years post-high school leading to bachelor's degree or equivalent degree. OR One year of specialized experience to qualify for the GS-4 level. Specialized experience is defined as experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the Student Trainee (Program Analyst). Examples of specialized experience include: help desk phone support and in person office support troubleshooting a variety of software and hardware problems. OR A combination of experience and education to qualify for the GS-5 Student Trainee (Information Technology). For example, the position to be filled is an information Technology (Student Trainee), GS-5, and a candidate possesses 9 months of specialized experience and has completed one academic year of college. The candidate meets 75 percent of the required experience and 25 percent of the required education. He/she meets 100 percent of the requirement for 1 year of specialized experience and is qualified for the position (transcripts must be submitted). Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. Physical Requirements: The work is both sedentary and active, requiring walking throughout the Medical Center. Duties may require lifting, carting and carrying computer equipment such as monitors and printers weighing 20-40 pounds. Asking assistance from other specialists to help with lifting is encouraged. There may be limited crawling under desks and behind areas to gain access to equipment.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Aleda E Lutz Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 1500 Weiss Street Saginaw, MI 48602 US
• Name: Miguel Aguilar
• Phone: (559) 225-6100 X6665
• Email: [email protected]