The DOE Scholars Program is designed to use existing hiring flexibilities to offer high performing students and recent graduates faster entry into the Department of Energy (DOE) workforce. Once a candidate completes a 10-week internship, he/she may primarily enter the DOE workforce through one of the following excepted service hiring methodologies best suited to their needs. Conversion out of the excepted service will be subject to meeting requirements of the methodology used.
The Student Career Experience Program (SCEP), formerly known as the Cooperative Education Program, is for current students with a minimum of six months remaining before graduation. This program offers valuable work experience to enrich their chosen field of study.
Students receive academic credit for their work experience in addition to a salary. Employment under this program is in the excepted service. Upon completion of coursework leading to a diploma, certificate, or degree and at least 640 hours of work experience, participants who meet all the requirements may be non-competitively converted to term, career, or career-conditional appointments.
For more information on the program, visit the U.S. Government's Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Web site.
Eligibility requirements:
This program provides temporary employment for all student levels from high school through college. There is no requirement that the position be related to the area of study.
Participants should consider converting to the Student Career Experience Program as soon as is practical as this program does not allow for noncompetitive conversion.
For more information on the program, visit the OPM Web site.
Eligibility requirements:
Upon successful completion of a Baccalaureate Degree, the DOE Career Intern Program (CIP) may be used to appoint candidates at the GS-5, -7, and -9 grade levels. This is a two-year, excepted service appointment.
Upon successful completion of the Scholars program, participants may be converted to a career or career-conditional appointment. The DOE Career Intern Program authority is based on the Federal Career Intern Program created under Executive Order 13162. More information on the program can be found by visiting the DOE Web site.
Eligibility requirements include:
The Presidential Management Fellows Program (PMF) was formerly known as the Presidential Management Intern (PMI) Program. Candidates are nominated by their graduate schools and, after a rigorous assessment process conducted by the Office of Personnel Management, are identified as eligible for excepted appointments.
PMIs are appointed at the GS-9, -11, or -12 level. Following successful completion of the two-year training program, participants are eligible for conversion to a permanent position. Managers may choose to include PMF participants in the DOE Scholars Program for the additional training and benefits of the program.
A Senior Fellows component has been added to appoint candidates at the GS-13, -14, or -15 level, depending on the candidate's qualifications. They will be appointed under a new Schedule A appointment authority; see 5CFR213.3102(jj).
Prior to conversion, the Executive Resources Board must certify that Senior Fellows have met all their requirements. Once certification is complete, Senior Fellows become eligible for non-competitive placement in the career Senior Executive Service (SES) in the same manner and subject to the same Qualifications Review Board as graduates of an OPM-approved SES candidate development program.
For more information on the program, visit the OPM Web site.
Eligibility requirements include:
People with disabilities that are qualified for the position to which they are applying, may be hired non-competitively through the use of excepted appointing authorities. Through a temporary appointment, people with disabilities can demonstrate the potential to successfully perform the essential duties of a position with or without reasonable accommodation in the workplace. Otherwise, if they are certified as likely to succeed by the State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies or Department of Veterans Affairs, they are eligible for the use of this authority.
Individuals who are mentally retarded, severely physically handicapped, or persons with psychiatric disabilities can be converted to competitive status non-competitively after successful completion of two years of satisfactory service. See 5CFR213.3102(t)(u)(gg).
For more information, visit the OPM Web site.
Eligibility requirements:
This authority was formerly known as the Veterans Readjustment Authority. Under the VRA, excepted appointments may be made up to and including GS-11 for any qualified, covered veteran who meets the basic eligibility requirements.
The candidate must meet specific military service requirements along with applicable qualification requirements. After two years of satisfactory substantially continuous service under the VRA Program, including training when required, the Veteran shall be converted to a career or career-conditional appointment.
The Veterans Readjustment Authority was revised by Public Law 107-288 on November 7, 2002, to make major changes in the eligibility criteria for obtaining a VRA appointment.
For more information on this authority, visit the OPM Web site.
Eligibility requirements:
This is a "direct hire" authority for outstanding scholars that applies only to positions at the GS-5 and -7 levels that were subject to the Professional and Administrative Career Exam. Candidates may be appointed without going through the examination process. This is not an Excepted Appointing authority.
Under this authority, applicants would apply through a specific vacancy announcement. Qualified Displaced Federal Government Employees who apply will be appointed over any outstanding scholars.
Further information and a listing of the occupations covered may be found on the OPM Web site.
Note: This authority is currently frozen pending the outcome of the Dean and Olson litigation.
Eligibility requirements:
This authority was created at the same time as the Outstanding Scholar. Under this "direct hire" authority, candidates who meet the eligibility requirements and minimum qualifications may be appointed to a GS-5 or -7 position. This applies only for positions that were subject to the Professional and Administrative Career Exam.
Under this authority, applicants would apply through a specific vacancy announcement. Qualified Displaced Federal Government Employees who apply will be appointed over any outstanding scholars.
Further information and a listing of the occupations covered may be found on the OPM Web site.
Note: This authority is currently frozen pending the outcome of the Dean and Olson litigation.
Eligibility requirements: