Summary You will serve as a WAGE GRADE HELPER in the PRODUCTION RESOURCES DEPARTMENT of PORTSMOUTH NAVAL SHIPYARD. This announcement is established to fill vacancies for the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and Trades Apprentice Program located in Kittery, ME. PLEASE NOTE: You will be applying for the Trades Apprentice Program and not a specific trade. Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and management reserve the right to place you in a specific trade. Responsibilities If selected for WG-2604 Electronics Mechanic - You will be involved in fabricating, overhauling, modifying, installing, troubleshooting, repairing, and maintaining ground and marine electronic equipment. If selected for WG-2606 Electronic Industrial Controls Mechanic - You will repair, test and calibrate electronic measuring equipment and cranes. If selected for WG-2805 Electrician - You will be involved in the installation, maintenance, troubleshooting, and repair of electrical wiring systems, fixtures, controls, and equipment in various areas. If selected for WG-3105 Fabric Worker - You will be involved in making, modifying, altering, and repairing clothing and/or equipment or other items. If selected for WG-3414 Machinist- You will be involved in the manufacturing of parts and of equipment from castings, and other raw stocks made of various metals, and other materials, and/or machining operations required in the repair of such items. If selected for WG-3610 Insulator - You will be involved in the fabrication and installation of insulating materials on tanks, turbines, and other structures to reduce heat loss or absorption, prevent moisture condensation, or reduce sound levels. If selected for WG-3703 Welder - You will cut and join all types of industrial and marine metals aboard U.S. Navy vessels and others. If selected for WG-3705 Nondestructive Test Inspector - You will identify physical and mechanical properties or defects of a piece of material or structure without altering its end use capabilities. If selected for WG-3806 Sheet Metal Mechanic - You will fabricate, modifies, repair, assemble and install sheet metal items in buildings and aboard U.S. Navy vessels. If selected for WG-3820 Shipfitter - You will be involved in the modification, fabrication, repair, assembly, and installation of various metal structural parts of ships and other vessels. If selected for WG-4102 Painter - You will prepare surfaces and apply coatings on interior and exterior surfaces, tanks and voids aboard ships and as shop applications to meet specific decorative and preservation requirements. If selected for WG-4204 Pipefitter - You will be involved in the installation, maintenance, and repair of high temperature water and high-pressure piping systems such as hydraulic, nitrogen, oxygen, steam heating, and steam-generating systems. If selected for WG-4352 Composite/ Plastic Fabricator - You will be involved in the repair, fabrication, modification, removal, and installation of composite and/or plastic items, parts, assemblies, and structures. If selected for WG-5210 Rigger - You will select, install, and use cables, ropes, shackles, beam clamps, strongbacks and other weight handling gear to lift, move, and position heavy loads. If selected for WG-5220 Shipwright - You will be involved in the dry docking of marine craft and in the maintenance of marine dry docking equipment. If selected for WG-5334 Marine Machinery Mechanic - You will be involved in the dismantling, repairing, relocating, modifying, maintaining, aligning, and installing of a wide variety of marine machinery, equipment, and systems. If selected for WG-5350 Production Machinery Mechanic - You will install, repair, inspect, align, analyze, and rebuild industrial plant equipment and machinery. If selected for WG-5352 Industrial Equipment Mechanic - You will operate and perform emergency breakdown, planning and preventative maintenance and repairs on Pure Water systems, High Pressure Systems, sewage lift and pumping stations. If selected for WG-5306 Air Conditioning Equipment Mechanic - You will remove, repair, overhaul, align, install, test, and adjust ship's air conditioning and refrigeration systems and components. If selected for WG-5803 Heavy Mobile Equipment Mechanic - You will perform maintenance and repairs on various types of heavy-duty equipment such as floating, portal, gantry, bridge and truck cranes. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications YOU ARE REQUIRED TO SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE AN ACADEMIC PRE-PLACEMENT EXAM AND SUBMIT RESULTS WITH YOUR APPLICATION. You will be tested on Reading Comprehension; Arithmetic; and Quantitative Reasoning/Statistics/Algebra. Free Accuplacer practice materials can be found at https://accuplacer.collegeboard.org/ Although a specific length of time and experience is not required for most trade and labor occupations, you must show through experience and training that you possess the quality level of knowledge and skill necessary to perform the duties of the position at the level for which you are applying. Qualification requirements emphasis is on quality of experience, not necessarily the length of time. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the job elements and screen out listed below. This job has a screen-out element which will be used to determine minimum eligibility for this job. Applicants who do not receive a minimum of two points on the screen-out element(s) will be found ineligible. The Screen-out Element for this position is: SHOP APTITUDE AND INTEREST Applicants must meet the requirements of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Job Qualification Handbook for Trades and Labor Occupations. Additional qualification information can be found at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/federal-wage-system-qualifications/#url=List-of-Approved-Job-Elements Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (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. Education Testing is scheduled by YORK COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE and GREAT BAY COMMUNITY COLLEGE. TO SCHEDULE A PLACEMENT TEST, VISIT: https://www.yccc.edu/explore/workforce-training-professional-development/pnsy-apprenticeship-testing/ https://www.greatbay.edu/apprenticeship-testing-pnsy/ Apprentices will spend considerable time their first year learning from experienced instructors, with some classes being taught in classrooms by Shipyard certified instructors, and some classes being taught by Great Bay Community College and York County Community College instructors; both in-person and distance learning methods are utilized. Apprentices are required to maintain passing grades in their assigned curriculum, and failure to do so may jeopardize their participation in the program. An apprentice will participate in training in shop hands-on instruction, and will practice skills in a safe-to-fail mockup environment. They will shadow experienced workers and ask questions, and will later be able to execute the work themselves while under the watchful eye of a journey-level worker. Over the course of the four years of apprenticeship, apprentices will learn and work a combined 7200 hours to be eligible for graduation and promotion to journey-level worker. Department of the Navy and Department of Labor certificates are awarded to all graduating apprentices. Some work assignments may be performed in tanks and other enclosed spaces and must frequently use respirators/forced air fed breather equipment. Incumbent may be exposed to industrial conditions of dust, dirt, noise, vibration, dampness, and radiation. Some work assignments may require frequent pushing, pulling, kneeling, bending, crouching, squatting, crawling, sitting, lying, stooping, climbing, prolonged working and standing at heights in excess of 100 feet with personal protective equipment. Positions may require rotation of work shifts and extended work hours including holidays and weekends. Positions may require travel. Additional Information This position is covered by the Department of Defense Priority Placement Program. Additional vacancies may be filled by this announcement. A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if the selectee fails to meet the pre-employment requirements, including failure to report to any of the scheduled appointments. Federal annuitant information: The selection of an annuitant is subject to the Department of Defense and Department of the Navy policy on the employment of annuitants. Policy information may be found at: http://www.secnav.navy.mil/donhr/Documents/CivilianJobs/FedCivAnnuitants.pdf YOU ARE REQUIRED TO SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE AN ACADEMIC PRE-PLACEMENT EXAM AND SUBMIT RESULTS WITH YOUR APPLICATION. This position is subject to work an uncommon tour, including nights, weekends, and holidays to meet mission requirements. Overtime or night differential pay and/or unusual duty hours may be required. ICTAP Applicants: To be considered well-qualified and exercise selection priority as an ICTAP candidate, displaced Federal employees must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a rating in the highly qualified category (score 85) or higher. ICTAP candidates must provide copies of all of the following documentation at the time of application: 1) agency notice; 2) most recent performance appraisal; and 3) most recent SF-50 or notification of personnel action that includes position, grade level, and duty location. Applicants who do not provide this documentation will not receive consideration as an ICTAP candidate. For more information about ICTAP eligibility please review the following link: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/federal-employees/ictap/ Military Spouse Preference applicants will receive priority consideration at the Full Performance Level (FPL) and if determined to be Best Qualified at the FPL, and selected, must be placed at the FPL. A BQ military spouse possesses knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies comparable to others who meet the competitive referral criteria for the specific position. PPP applicants will be placed at the FPL, if determined Well Qualified (WQ). To receive priority consideration, the FPL must be the same grade level or equivalent of the retained grade held immediately prior to separation. These positions have various promotion potential to the journey-level positions at the WG-06, WG-07, WG-08, WG-09, WG-10 (depending on the trade). You may be non-competitively promoted to the full performance level after meeting all regulatory requirements, and upon the recommendation of management. Promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed. The Trades Apprenticeship at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNS) is a four-year academic-based apprenticeship program. Working with NAVSEA and the Department of Labor, PNS has crafted a program that combines academic curriculum with hands-on learning and job shadowing of journey-level workers.