# Presentation: 506264

## DOECareer Intern Program (CIP)

- Wednesday, April 24, 2002
- Conducted by:
- The Office of Human Resources Management

*A Developmental Program to Rebuild the Department’s Business and Technical Workforce  *

## Objective

- Provide HQ Administrative Officers with an overview of the Department-wide Career Intern Program (CIP) and the new Federal Career Intern Authority
- Answer questions on how the CIP Program can be incorporated into workforce plans to address critical skills needs.

## Workshop Outline

**Why** have a Career Intern Program ?
**What **is DOE’s Career Intern Program ?
**When** it program be implemented ?
**How  **will it be implemented ?

##  Why have a DOE Career Intern Program?

**Addresses** issues associated with an aging workforce (less than 9% of DOE’s Federal Workforce is under the age of 35 – less than 7% in the technical arenas).
**Builds** a pipeline for the future (DOE has a skills imbalance and the pipeline of future scientist, engineers, contract managers, budget analysis, etc. is depleted).
**Improves** management  - entry-level hiring is economical and helps put resources to DOE’s “front-line”; consistent with the goals of the President Management Agenda

## What is the DOE Career Intern Program?

**A 2-year career-entry and development program aimed at hiring entry-level employees into scientific, technical and business occupations in GS 5-9 grade levels.**

## DOE CIP Key Features

- _Targeted_ recruitment
- _Quick & Easy_ “On the spot hiring/offers”
- _Corporately (ME) funded_ core training
- _Organization specific training_ - participation in additional organization-specific training
- _Unique experiences_ - participation in details, rotational assignments, formal mentorship
- _Comprehensive compensation_ - Opportunity to participate in the student loan repayment program and other recruitment incentives

## When will the CIP be Implemented? 

- Program launched via February 19, 2002 memo from Former Deputy Secretary Frank Blake – calling for more entry-level hiring, especially interns.
- ME-50 to conduct round of visits and issue a Program Guide (“cookbook”) to program offices in order to help them assess their entry and mid-level hiring needs and develop plans to take advantage of the CIP and other programs (Guide was issued, April 2002)

## How does the DOE Career Intern Program Work?

- Headquarters program offices and DOE field offices interview and hire.
- A new flexible hiring authority allows for targeted recruitment and “on the spot” hiring in many cases
- Once hired, the employee is given training specific to his/her job as well as “corporate” training that is geared toward DOE’s scientific, technical, and business management missions and programs.
- Additionally formal training, details, rotational assignments and/or mentors will be made available for participants.
- After two years as interns, successful employees can be converted to regular status and continue pursuit of their DOE careers

## CIP Corporate Training

- Orientation with an overview of Federal government and DOE operations
- Minimum of 3-4 weeks of centrally-funded common core training with separate training tracks for technical (scientific and engineering) and business (administrative/management) career paths
- Requires an Individual Development Plan

## CIP Corporate Training

- Strongly encourages the use of web-based training through the DOE Online Learning Center
- Provides specific work and training assignments through the Field/Program Offices
- Requires a minimum of one 30-day rotational assignment(s) in headquarters or field offices, laboratories and/or contractor organizations.
- Provides for the assignment of an individual, trained mentor to each participant.
- Can be supplemented by additional development determined by hiring offices

## Slide 11

## Federal Career Intern Authority 

*In July 2000, the President of the United States signed into law, Executive Order (EO) 13162.  This E.O. outlined a new two-year government intern program hiring authority aimed at hiring entry-level employees into scientific, technical and business occupations in jobs at the GS-5 to GS-9 level.*
*NOTE: The United States Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency and other Federal Agencies have already begun the implementation of their own Career Intern Program.*

## Federal Career Intern Program Authority (FCIPA)

- Appointments are not to exceed two-year excepted service appointments (Schedule B213.3202 (o) and **may** be converted to career-conditional/career status upon successful completion of the internship and when meets all qualifications, suitability and performance requirements. (Must happen within the 2-years appointment)
- Subject to OPM qualifications
- Applicants apply directly to Federal agencies
- May be appointed year round

## Federal Career Intern Program Authority (FCIPA)

- No public notice required
- Appointments are not subject to Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program requirements;
- Interns are in a trial period during the entire period of internship.  Continuation in the program is contingent upon satisfactory performance during the internship period.  Interns are not required to serve a probationary period following conversion into the competitive service.
- Interns may be promoted in accordance with their job description and promotion potential, but are not entitled to promotion.
- There is a return right provision for career/career conditional employees within an agency or agency component

## What’s Next?

**IMMEDIATE STEPS**
- 	-	ME-50 to work with Headquarters organizations to develop strategies and                    	workforce plans that address critical skills needs.
- 	-	HQ Administrative Officers and Resource Managers should examine the 	resources within their respective Program Office(s) to incorporate entry-level 	career development, recruitment and hiring, including the CIP Program, into 	their long and short-term strategies.
- 	-	ME-50 is scheduling meetings with Departmental Elements to brief them 	on the CIP and other entry-level programs.
- 	-	Prepare for first class, target date for kickoff is August – September  2002.

## Contact Information

- Anita Seto -				202-586-6589
- Stephanie Diamond -            202-586-8472
- Jeffrey Vargas -                    202-586-3039
- Craig West -				202-287-1637
- Jacqueline Brown -               202-287-1630
- CIP website:  www.ma.mbe.doe.gov/pers/cip/index.htm