News United States Air Force
 Air Force internships help young professionals gain valuable work experiencePublished Dec. 18, 2017
                        
                        By Richard Salomon
                        
                        
                        Air Force’s Personnel Center Public Affairs
                **JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas (AFNS) --**
                Air Force officials are offering internships to eligible scholars that could lead them on career paths with the Air Force Civilian Service.
Students and recent college graduates can take advantage of the Recent Graduates Program, the Presidential Management Fellows Program and the new Premier College Intern Program as well as the Air Force’s regular internship program. All are designed to promote and encourage opportunities in the federal service.
“These programs provide meaningful training and career development opportunities for individuals who are interested in federal employment,” said Mary Villarreal, Pathways Program manager.
The Recent Graduates Program offers civil service career opportunities for individuals who graduated in the last two years from a qualifying educational institution with an associate’s, bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree. The program also accepts individuals with vocational or technical degrees or certificates. Program selectees receive developmental experiences in the federal government, guided career planning, professional development and competitive opportunities for career advancement.
To be eligible, applicants must apply within two years of completing a degree or earning a certificate. However, veterans have up to six years after completing their degree or certificate to apply. For more information about veterans’ employment, go to **https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/veterans-services/.**
The Presidential Management Fellows Program serves as a leadership development program for advanced degree candidates. The Office of Personnel Management allows those who have received a qualifying advanced degree within the preceding two years to participate.
The Air Force introduced the Premier College Intern Program in August 2017. The new program is designed to attract individuals currently enrolled full -time in college to seek careers in the Air Force Civilian Service. The program offers eight career field opportunities: civil engineering, communications and information, contracting, financial management, force support, scientist and engineering, intelligence, and logistics.
“The Premier College Intern Program serves as an excellent force renewal tool by focusing on top college talent,” said Kristina Whitfield, Premier College Intern Program Manager. “The selectees gain important real-world experience by working on challenging and rewarding projects at installations across the Air Force.”
Since the program’s debut, AFPC’s talent acquisition team has made contact with about 600 students at various recruiting trips and hiring events.
Both office and professional (white-collar) and manual and industrial (blue-collar) positions for the Premier College Intern Program can be filled through competitive vacancy announcements on **https://www.usajobs.gov/**; many white-collar positions can also be filled through direct hire authorities. Interested individuals can submit their resumes at **https://afciviliancareers.com/**. The deadline to apply is Dec. 31, 2017 for summer 2018 internships.
Air Force interns may be eligible for placement in a permanent position after completing a degree and meeting eligibility requirements. However, meeting the eligibility requirements does not guarantee one will be offered a permanent position.
For more information, individuals can visit **myPers** , select “Any” from the dropdown menu and enter “Pathways” or “Premier.” Individuals who do not have a myPers account can request one by **following these instructions**.JB San Antonio-Randolph 



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