Sec. 366. Establishment of Pathways Program
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In this section: The term agency means— an Executive agency, as defined in section 105 of title 5, United States Code; and the Government Publishing Office. The term civil service has the meaning given the term in section 2101 of title 5, United States Code. The term competitive service has the meaning given the term in section 2102 of title 5, United States Code. The term Director means the Director of the Office. The term excepted service has the meaning given the term in section 2103 of title 5, United States Code.
The term Office means the Office of Personnel Management. The Director shall establish the Pathways Program. The purpose of the Pathways Program is to promote employment opportunities in the Federal workforce for students and recent graduates by excepting participants in the Program from competitive service hiring requirements for certain positions in the civil service. The Pathways Program shall consist of an Internship Program and a Recent Graduates Program. The Director shall issue regulations for the Pathways Program, which shall include— a description of the positions that agencies may fill through the Pathways Program because conditions of good administration necessitate excepting those positions from the competitive hiring rules; rules governing whether, to what extent, and in what manner agencies must provide public notice of job opportunities in the Pathways Program; a description of opportunities for career development, training, and mentorship for participants in the Pathways Program; requirements that managers assess the performance of participants in the Pathways Program to identify the individuals who should be considered for conversion to career civil service positions; a description of oversight by the Office of the use of the Pathways Program by agencies to ensure that— the Pathways Program serves as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the competitive hiring process; and agencies are using the Pathways Program in order to develop talent for careers in the civil service; a description of plans by the Office to evaluate— the effectiveness of agencies in recruiting and retaining talent using the Pathways Program; and the satisfaction of the students and graduates participating in the Pathways Program; and standard naming conventions across agencies, so that students and recent graduates can clearly understand and compare the available career pathway opportunities in the Federal Government.
The Internship Program shall provide a student in high school, a community college, a 4-year institution of higher education, a trade school, a career or technical education program, or another qualifying educational institution or program, as determined by the Director, with paid opportunities to work in agencies and explore Federal careers while still in school. The following principles and policies shall govern the Internship Program: A participant in the Internship Program shall be a student enrolled, or accepted for enrollment, in a qualifying educational institutions or program, as determined by the Director.
Subject to such exceptions as may be provided by regulation, an agency shall provide an intern with meaningful developmental work and set clear expectations regarding the work experience of the intern. A student employed by a third-party internship provider but placed in an agency may, to the extent permitted by regulation, be treated as a participant in the Internship Program. An agency shall participate in the Internship Program for the primary purpose of developing and evaluating entry-level talent for future permanent employment with the Federal Government.
The Recent Graduates Program shall provide an individual who has recently graduated from a qualifying educational institution or program with developmental experiences in the Federal Government intended to promote a possible career in the civil service. The following principles and policies shall govern the Recent Graduates Program: Except as provided in clause (ii), a participant in the Recent Graduates Program shall have obtained a qualifying degree, or completed a qualifying career or technical education program, as determined by the Director, during the 3-year period preceding application to the Recent Graduates Program.
In the case of a veteran who, due to the military service obligation of the veteran, would be precluded from participating in the Recent Graduates Program because the veteran is unable to apply during the 3-year period required under clause (i), that clause shall be applied by substituting 6-year period for 3-year period . Responsibilities assigned to a recent graduate shall be consistent with— the qualifications, educational background, and career interests of the graduate; the purpose of the Recent Graduates Program; and the needs of agencies.
The following requirements shall apply to an appointment in the Pathways Program: An appointment to the Pathways Program shall be under the excepted service. An appointment to the Recent Graduates Program may not exceed 2 years, unless extended by the employing agency for a period of not more than 120 days. An appointment to the Pathways Program shall not confer any right to further Federal employment in the competitive service or the excepted service upon the expiration of the appointment, except that an agency— may convert a participant noncompetitively to a term, career, or career-conditional appointment after the participant satisfies requirements to be established by the Director; and may noncompetitively convert a participant who was initially converted to a term appointment under this section to a career or career-conditional appointment before the term appointment expires.
Section 3111a(c)(1) of title 5, United States Code, is amended— by redesignating subparagraphs (B), (C), and
(D)as subparagraphs (C), (D), and (E), respectively; and by inserting after subparagraph
(A)the following: the Internship Program established under section 366(d) of the Inspire to Serve Act of 2021 ; .