Economics (Student Trainee)

Summary

Make an impact while you learn. The Semester of Service Program offers students a volunteer project-based opportunity to support real Federal missions, gaining hands-on experience and career-ready skills. Students must be enrolled at least half-time in an accredited trade school, technical/vocational institute, junior college, college, university, or other accredited educational institution. With this project, you'll support a program through collecting, cleaning, and organizing policy data.

Duties

Collect, clean, and organize State level Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) policy information using Stata and Excel to update the ERS SNAP Policy Database. Contribute to economics research projects examining the effects of SNAP participation or policy changes on nutrition-related and other outcomes. Draft or contribute to development of outreach products related to SNAP policy and/or nutrition outcomes.

Requirements

To participate in this Program, you must: Must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S National studying in the U.S. or abroad. International students on valid visas may participate if they meet applicable immigration, visa, and agency authorities. Be enrolled not less than half-time in an accredited trade school, technical or vocational institute, junior college, college, university, or other accredited educational institution. Be in good academic standing as defined by your institution. Commit to volunteering 8 - 20 hours per week for a minimum of 90 days. Complete all required onboarding documentation assigned by the Federal agency and your academic institution. Agree to volunteer. This position is unpaid. No compensation, stipends, or hiring preference will be granted from this work. You may use this volunteer experience to qualify for future jobs you choose to apply for. Agree to understanding volunteers are not Federal employees.

Qualifications and evaluation

Applicants are encouraged to address their education, experience, and motivation for applying for this opportunity with the Department of Agriculture on their resume. Experience is defined as paid, unpaid, volunteer or other experiences as it demonstrates the knowledge, skills or abilities related to project needs in this announcement.

Education

To qualify, you must be enrolled not less than half-time in an accredited trade school, technical or vocational institute, junior college, college, university, or other accredited educational institution. You also must be in good academic standing as defined by your institution. Attach a copy of your transcripts to your application package for verification.

Benefits

This is an unpaid volunteer experience. Student volunteers are not considered Federal employees for any purpose other than injury compensation and laws related to the Federal Tort Claims Act, and service is not creditable for leave accrual or other employee benefits.

How to apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application. Follow the prompts to select your résumé and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://www.usajobs.gov/), all your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status.

Required documents

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes: 1. Your resume (two or fewer pages) showing: Your work experience to include start and end dates. Education information, such as the name of your school and dates of attendance. Any knowledge, skills or abilities you've gained through education that relate to the project. 2. Proof of current enrollment not less than half-time in a trade school, technical or vocational institute, junior college, college, university, or other accredited educational institution.

Additional information

Student volunteers must complete all required safety training, background checks, and comply with agency security protocols. Participation must be with the permission of the institution at which the volunteer intern is enrolled.