Please contact pathways@opm.gov any questions or questions about Pathways programs for students and graduates. Questions about one of the three USDA Pathways programs can be to:Askusdapathways@dm.usda.gov turn at NRCS National Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Executive Order 13562 Recruiting and Hiring Students and Recent Graduates from December 27, 2010, authorized two new exempt service recruitment agencies and consolidated them with a revised presidential management program to establish Pathways programs for students and graduates. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has provided and codified execution procedures at various locations of the Federal Regulations Code (RSC), primarily 5 parts CFR 213, 315 and 362. 5 CFR, Part 302, which deals with recruitment into the exempt service, explains how Pathways candidates can be assessed, how candidates can be selected and how veterans` preference applies. Agencies are advised to refer to these provisions before filling pathways positions and to speak with their boards on any issues. As ordered by the executive order, OPM issued a final rule of Pathways to implement these programs. The final rule aims to improve recruitment efforts, to offer students, from high school to graduate school through graduate careers, clear pathways to federal internships and to provide useful training and career opportunities for those starting out in federal service. No no. Students who have not yet graduated can apply within weeks/months of the position and be considered graduates.
However, these individuals must meet the definition of a diploma of 5 CFR, Part 362,302, to be named a Recent Graduate under the Pathways program. Category Rating Procedure – Under 5 CFR Part 302.105, agencies can set up their own Systems for Applying Veterans Preference, provided that such a system gives preferred candidates at least as much benefit as in numerical rankings or unassured selection methods. For convenience, many agencies have adopted a category rating process. This method works in the same way as category evaluation in the context of competition. Instead of using numerical values, individuals are assessed on the basis of criteria defined by agencies and categorized into a pre-defined quality category by two or more. Preferred beneficiaries are mentioned in the quality category in which they are classified as non-preferred. People with a disability of 10% or more are classified in the highest quality category (before non-privileged beneficiaries). An agency must choose from the highest quality category. An agency cannot choose a non-preference for a preferred eligible veteran until the preferred beneficiaries of the higher category are exhausted or the Agency has not followed the current non-compliance procedures for the preferential beneficiaries who remain in that top group.