Student Intern Program announced by the NYS Department of Civil Service

Student Intern Program announced by the NYS Department of Civil Service

Acting NYS Civil Service Commission President Patricia A. Hite has distributed the following "General Information Bulletin #12-01" to State Departments and Agencies describing a new Student Intern Program that is to be made available to qualified college and graduate school students interested in a career in public service and inviting their respective Department and Agency participation.

GENERAL INFORMATION BULLETIN No. 12-01

TO: Department and Agency Directors of Human Resource, Personnel and Affirmative Action Officers
FROM: Patricia A. Hite
SUBJECT: New New York Leaders: Student Intern Program
DATE: May 10, 2012

On February 15, Governor Cuomo launched the New New York Leaders: Student Intern Program, the first ever centralized Student Intern Program for state government. The Program will provide talented undergraduate or graduate students who are New York State residents or who attend a New York State college, university or graduate program and are interested in exploring a career in public service with a single location to apply and be considered for internship opportunities. Students will be exposed to the work of governing and the increasingly complex policy challenges facing New York State. This group of diverse and talented students is the future of state government.

A memorandum from Howard Glaser dated May 9, 2012, advised agency heads of this important initiative, the success of which depends upon agency participation. The Department of Civil Service is hosting the portal for the Student Intern Program which will function as the primary location where agency internship opportunities will be posted and applications will be accepted. Based on the preferred candidate profile submitted by the agency for each internship opportunity, the Department will provide agencies with a list of qualified candidates. It is expected that by fall 2012, all New York State internship opportunities will be included on the New New York Leaders: Student Intern Program portal.

This Program is not intended to replace established agency relationships with colleges and universities; rather, the portal is to serve as a comprehensive recruitment tool for agencies and a single resource to which schools may direct students. The Department will notify New York State colleges and universities of the Program and develop a recruitment plan to actively recruit students from schools with diverse populations. Agencies are encouraged to continue their recruitment efforts. Communication with college and university internship coordinators should continue to ensure the inclusion of candidates with agencies' preferred qualifications; however, students should be directed to the portal to apply for and select specific agency opportunities. Appointments must be made through the centralized process.

We are making every effort to meet agencies' needs while providing schools and students a centralized portal for the Student Intern Program. This fall we will ask for your feedback on the portal and, based upon that input, will seek to expand the visibility of the Program and increase efficiency and transparency in the process of hiring interns.

Student Intern Program Overview

The internship opportunities offered by the New New York Leaders: Student Intern Program may be paid or unpaid, and for graduate or undergraduate students. Applications will be accepted three times a year for internships to be filled in the fall, spring and summer. The internship portal will allow candidates to submit applications, upload resumes and review and identify preferences for internships. Agencies will use the internship portal to post internship opportunities, set hiring criteria, and receive a list of qualified candidates.

Between June 1 and June 27, 2012, agencies will post their Fall 2012 internship opportunities on the internship portal. An agency guide and further directions will be made available to assist you with this process. Agencies will also have the opportunity to attend a Student Intern Program briefing on May 30, 2012 in Room 354 in the Alfred E. Smith Office Building in Albany. Agency staff in locations outside of Albany will have the ability connect to the briefing via webinar. During the briefing, Student Intern Program staff will provide programmatic details of the Program, a demonstration of the internship portal, and guidelines for submitting internships.

Student Intern Program Liaisons

We request that all agencies designate an agency liaison to serve as a point of contact for future communication related to the Student Intern Program. The Student Intern Program Liaison will be responsible for:

• communicating all relevant Student Intern Program information and deadlines to agency staff; and,

• coordinating your agency's input and maintenance of internship posting information in the internship portal.

• May 15, 2012
 - Agencies designate Student Intern Program Liaison

• May 23, 2012
 - DCS provides agencies a guide and template for posting internships

• May 30, 2012
 - Student Internship Program Briefing for Liaisons

• June 1, 2012
 - Access to Internship Portal for Agencies

• June 27, 2012
 - Deadline for Posting Internships

• July 23, 2012
 - Deadline for Students to Apply and Identify Internship Preferences

• July 24 - 31, 2012
 - Agencies Establish Criteria and Receive List of Qualified Candidates

• July 24, 2012 - August 31, 2012
 - Agencies Contact Candidates for Interviews

• September 2012
 - Internships Begin

The Student Intern Program Liaison should be, whenever possible, a professional member of your human resource team. All human resource or personnel staff with access to NYSTEP will have permissions to access the Internship Portal using their Department of Civil Service Web Applications Log In information. Please contact Lynne Harting via email atnysinternships@cs.state.ny.us by Tuesday, May 15, 2012, with the name and contact information for your agency liaison. Please also indicate if the Student Intern Program Liaison will be attending the Student Internship Program briefing in person or connecting via the webinar.

Timeline

To assist you in your planning efforts, the timeline for the New New York Leaders: Student Intern Program for Fall 2012 internships is as follows:

We look forward to your participation in the New New York Leaders: Student Intern Program. For more information on the program, visit our website http://www.nysinternships.com beginning the week of May 14. If you have any questions, please contact Lynne Harting at (518) 473-9721 or contact us at nysinternships@cs.state.ny.us.