Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from any U.S. Citizen. This position is part of the Pathways Program and is open to current students who are enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a qualifying educational institution and enrolled at least half-time. Additional information can be found at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/students-recent-graduates/#url=Program-Fact-Sheets

To qualify for this Internship, you MUST be a continuing student enrolled or accepted for enrollment for the current/upcoming semesters in a college, trade school, and other qualifying educational institution of higher education and pursuing a baccalaureate or graduate degree on at least a part-time basis as determined by the academic institution for the duration of the internship as a condition of employment. You will be required to provide documentation to support eligibility. Students may be employed throughout the academic year. 

1DOT Internship Program is designed to provide interns an opportunity to broaden their perspectives on issues facing government. Interns will work throughout the Department of Transportation (DOT) and support higher-level management in coordinating, facilitating, and implementing activities within the office to which they are assigned; and be exposed to and participate in activities, innovations, and challenges facing the Transportation Industry. 

The Student Trainee works in support of the office they are assigned to which may include:

• Performing a variety of assignments selected to broaden skills and provide practical experience aimed at developing the employee’s skills and knowledge to perform progressively complex assignments.
• Assignments designed to orient, train, and increase the student’s knowledge in his/her perspective area of study.
• Assisting specialists/analysts in developing material for briefings, reports, presentations and conference materials needed by supervisor and executive management.
• Developing documents, such as research-based papers, graphs, charts, and other data to be used by transportation officials in defining transportation challenges and recommending options and potential solutions.
• Assisting management in collecting, organizing and maintaining program and/or functional documentation and materials.
• Participating in meetings, events, and briefings.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) is looking for students, college, trade school, and other qualifying educational institution of higher education with an interest in transportation, majoring in science, technology, mathematics, economics, computer science/IT, cybersecurity and research-based majors.  The DOT is seeking students who have demonstrated leadership, innovation, and self-initiative. 

The 1DOT Internship Program integrates on-the-job training with pertinent education by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The individual series are listed below for your reference and information to include the applicable qualification standard:

GS-0199 – Social Science Student Trainee Series (e.g. Economist; Social Sciences, public policy or similar fields)

GS-0299 – Human Resources Student Trainee Series

GS-0399 – Administrative Support Series (e.g. Communications, Public Affairs, Program and Management Analyst, Data Analytics)

GS-0599 – Financial Management Student Trainee Series (e.g. Finance; Budget; Auditing, Accounting; Pay or similar fields)

GS-0899 – Engineering and Architectural Student Trainee Series (e.g. Civil; Chemical; General; Aerospace; Electrical Mechanical; Mechanical Corrosion; Metallurgical and Materials; Petroleum Engineering; or students with an interest in oil and Liquified Natural Gas (LNG)

GS-1199 – Business and Industry (e.g. Contracting, Inspections, Acquisitions, or similar fields)

GS-1599 – Mathematics and Statistics Student Trainee Series (e.g. Statistics; Mathematics; Data Science, Database Management or similar fields)

GS-1899- Safety Inspector Trainee

GS-2199 – Transportation Student Trainee Series (e.g. Transportation Safety, Transportation Specialist; Railroad Safety; Highway Safety; Traffic Management; Aviation or similar fields)

GS-2299 – Information Technology Management Student Trainee Series (e.g. Information Technology; Computer Science; Cybersecurity or similar fields)

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#GS-TECH=&url=List-by-Occupational-Series

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen and meet the requirements of the program.
• You must be at least 16 years of age
• Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.
• Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date

PATHWAYS ELIGIBILITY - To be eligible for appointment to a position in the 1DOT Internship Program, throughout the duration of the appointment, an individual must:

• Be accepted for enrollment or enrolled and seeking a degree or certificate in a qualifying educational institution on a half to full-time basis (as determined by the educational institution).
  
• Be seeking a degree that is relevant to this position.
• Be able to work at least 16 hours per week, depending on your academic schedule, and preferably full-time during the summer. 
• Grade qualifications must be met prior to start date.

If selected you: 

• may be able to work up to 20 hours per week throughout the academic year;  
• must maintain status as a current student AND maintain a minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA;
• must furnish course registration information at the start of each school term; and
• must provide verification of academic status (transcript) at the end of each academic term.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

• You must be at least 16 years of age.
• Applicable documents are required for the Mandatory Education requirements.
• UNITED STATES CITIZENSHIP:  Must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
• SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
• DECLARATION FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT: Selectee is required to complete a Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) to determine suitability for federal employment.
• BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: You will be required to complete a background/security investigation and meet preliminary requirements prior to onboarding.
• WORK SCHEDULE: Intern should be able to work at least 40 hours per week during summer.
• PHYSICAL LOCATION: The intern will be required to report to the designated onsite location as identified upon selection.

For more information on the Pathways Program, please visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/students-recent-graduates/#url=Program-Fact-Sheets

Qualifications

To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet the education requirements for the grade at which you are requesting consideration by June 1, 2026 and be continuing your education the following semester (proof of enrollment is required).   

• GS-5 - Completion of four academic years of post-high school study leading to a bachelor’s degree or four academic years of pre-professional study.
• GS-7 - Completion of one academic year of graduate level education; OR bachelor’s degree with Superior Academic Achievement*

*Superior Academic Achievement- In the upper one-third of graduating class; OR a GPA of 3.0 or higher out of 4.0, as recorded on official transcript, or based on courses completed during final 2 years of curriculum; OR a GPA of 3.5 or higher out of 4.0, based on average of required courses completed in major or required courses in major completed the final 2 years of curriculum.

This position has an education requirement. 

Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required prior to a final offer of employment.  You may use 2026 in-progress semester/quarter hours to qualify for a higher grade level. Qualifications will be determined based on completed and in-progress hours stated on your unofficial transcript submitted at the time of application. 

You must provide updated transcripts that show any/all degrees conferred, current grades and registration with cumulative GPA to support your educational claims (acceptance letter is also required if applicable to current academic status). Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education - https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home.

Special Instructions for Foreign Education: Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. A listing of these accredited organizations can be found on the Department of Education's website - click here. You must provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing along with your application. Failure to provide such documentation when requested will result in lost consideration. 

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

1. Knowledge of subject area typically provided by college-level courses sufficient to perform a variety of assignments to broaden skills and gain practical experience.
2. Ability to assist higher graded teammates in developing material for briefings, reports, presentations and conference materials.
3. Ability to participate in meetings, events, and briefings.
4. Skill in oral and written communication.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social).  Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.  You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

For additional information about applying to Federal Pathways Internship Positions, please click on the following link:  https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=GS-PIP

Applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the start of the internship.  

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume/ application does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). Your resume must contain sufficiently detailed information upon which to make a qualification determination. Please ensure that your resume contains specific information such as position titles, beginning and ending dates of employment for each position, average number of hours worked per week, and if the position is/was in the Federal government, you should provide the position series and grade level. 

Once you complete and submit your application package, a review of your application will be made to ensure you meet the minimum qualification requirements for the job.  Qualified students will be referred to the hiring manager in unranked order by veteran preference status:  (1) Preference eligible having a compensable, service-connected disability of 10 percent or more; (2) all other candidates eligible for 10-point veteran preference; (3) candidates eligible for 5-point veteran preference; and (4) candidates not eligible for veteran preference.
 
You will not be considered for the position if any part of the application or supporting documentation is incomplete.  Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for not hiring you or adverse action after hiring.

Your application will be reviewed in two phases determine how you move forward in the hiring process.  Phase I: Your resume will be reviewed to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. ONLY two (2) pages of your resume will be reviewed. Additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume) will not be reviewed.  Applicants passing “Phase I” will move on to the “Phase II” of the assessment process where your application will be reviewed and rated based on the KSAs/Competencies listed in the vacancy announcement by a Subject Matter Expert (SME).

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