9.9.8 The following document was updated on 01-19-89 and contains 18506 characters. NASA COOPERATIVE EDUCATION PROGRAM GENERAL INFORMATION January 1989 PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) Cooperative Education Program consists of a series of planned work assignments, alternating with periods of related academic study, designed for qualified students in the fields of science, engineering, and professional administration. The Co-op program is designed to provide a source of well-trained employees for career entry into the Federal workforce. While on the job, student trainees will work under the guidance of qualified NASA personnel performing pre-professional duties pertinent to the subject matter field for which they are being trained. While successful completion of the program and graduation from college are prerequisites for appointment to career positions, they do not guarantee such appointment. Other determining factors are the availability of position vacancies and recommendation for conversion by the employing organization. The primary purpose of the program is to provide qualified students with supervised, on-the-job learning experience in occupations related to their major and useful to NASA's mission, program, and major projects in space and aeronautical research, development, and professional administration. This unique opportunity allows the students early-on to assess their career choices. Also, it provides a source of highly motivated entry-level employees who are ready to assume their place in the permanent work force immediately upon graduation. Participation in the cooperative program at NASA is arranged through the Cooperative Education Office at the school. Candidates must meet and satisfy program requirements established by the school and NASA. ENROLLMENT Candidates must maintain full-time enrollment and actual attendance at the educational institution while maintaining at least a 2.0 overall scholastic average on a 4.0 scale (the scholastic average may be higher at individual institutions). The student must be enrolled in the school's co-op program and be recommended for the co-op assignment by an authorized staff official of the institution. For baccalaureate program participants, completion of one year of academic study is strongly recommended. Candidates must be at least 16 years of age upon entry for the first work period and satisfactorily pass a security investigation. Candidates must be citizens of the United States and meet the employment of relatives requirement set by law. The restrictions on employment of relatives described in Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 310 must be applied when appointing co-op students. That guidance states that a student may only work in the same agency with a relative when there is no direct reporting relationship and/or the relative is not in a position to influence or control a student's appointment, employment, promotion, or advancement to a positon within the agency. Candidates must meet physical standards required for the position and if necessary pass a physical examination. TYPE OF APPOINTMENT Co-op students are given a Schedule B appointment in the excepted service. This appointment makes possible a non-competitive conversion to full-time employment after graduation and entitlement to most benefits available for regular civil service employees. SALARY Students' salaries are determined by their general schedule (GS) grade level. Between work periods, students are placed in a leave-without-pay (LWOP) status. PAY Students are paid based upon the appropriate pay level and schedule, along with holiday and overtime pay, according to Federal law and administrative action. PROMOTION Promotion to higher GS grade levels in the program is contingent upon the student satisfying the academic standards of the school and the work performance standards of NASA. PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS The supervisor will complete a performance evaluation at the end of each work period. This evaluation becomes a part of the co-op's personnel file and a copy is submitted to the school. These evaluations are a very integral part of the student's co-op experience and serve as a basis for permanent job offer consideration once the student has completed the requirements of the program. REASSIGNMENTS To avoid frequent reassignments, students' work assignments are carefully planned to supplement their study and prepare them for a related career field. TRIAL PERIOD The student's first work period is considered a screening period during which strengths and weaknesses are carefully observed and assessed. Students who fail to meet performance or conduct standards in a Federal agency will be advised of the areas needing improvement. Additionally, if the students' performance or conduct fails to improve and they have less than 1 year of current continous employment (includes LWOP) in the same or similar positions, they will be terminated from the program. RESIGNATIONS AND TERMINATIONS Co-ops may resign from the program at any time. Students electing to discontinue program participation while in a work status must contact the NASA Co-op Office for specific instructions. If the decision to resign occurs during a leave-without-pay status, the school coordinator should be advised of the decision and a letter of resignation submitted promptly to the NASA Co-op Office. The student must include in the resignation letter a forwarding address and desired effective date of resignation. CONVERSION TO CAREER-CONDITIONAL OR CAREER APPOINTMENT A cooperative student, irrespective of occupational group, may be eligible for noncompetitive conversion to a career-conditional appointment (or career appointment when service requirements are met) within the 120-calendar day period following completion of the Cooperative Education Program and graduating from college. CREDITABLE SERVICE Creditable service is employment time (civilian or uniformed service) with the Federal or District of Columbia government. Upon entering the Federal service, a service computation date is entered to indicate length of time served with the Federal government. All service in a pay status and up to 6 months per calendar year of leave-without-pay time is creditable service as it relates to the service computation date. CO-OP WORK PERFORMANCE Co-op students are usually assigned to work with a mentor and it is to this person that the co-op should look for normal day-to-day direction, supervision, and guidance. Co-ops are expected to demonstrate initiative in performing assigned duties. Depending upon the organization's requirements and the individual's readiness to accept responsibility, duties may range from those requiring minimal skills/knowledge to those which may be exceptionally difficult and challenging. Production/process cycles may at times cause temporary short term lulls in workload or assignments for co-op students. These are not cause for concern; however, co-ops are expected to inform the NASA Co-op coordinator when extended minimally productive assignments appear to be of long term or permanent nature. WORK REPORTS Students are responsible for preparing a written co-op report at the end of the work period. This report should include a detailed description of major and minor duties, significant events or experiences, and significance of relationships between work experiences and school courses. If the school has a specific format for the work report, a copy of the report is acceptable in meeting this requirement. This report, plus one copy, must be typed and submitted to the NASA co-op office in a neat and legible format. RETURNING TO DUTY The beginning date of each work term is established by the school and NASA and is indicated on a co-op calendar. NASA refers to this calendar to determine the return-to-duty date for each participating school. BENEFITS ANNUAL LEAVE Students with less than three years Federal service will earn four hours of annual leave (vacation time) each pay period (two weeks.) Those having three to fifteen years of Federal service will earn six hours of annual leave each pay period. Unused annual leave can be accumulated (up to 30 days) and carried forward from one year to the next. Annual leave is charged in one-half hour increments. Students separated from the program will be compensated for any unused annual leave. Students are expected to promptly inform their supervisors of any proposed use of annual leave. All annual leave must either be initialed on the Time and Attendance Distribution card in the space provided or else be supported by a properly prepared Application for Leave, Standard Form 71. SICK LEAVE Sick leave is earned at the rate of four hours each pay period (two weeks). This leave can be used for illness, appointments with a doctor, dentist, or optician. There is no limit on the amount of sick leave that can be accumulated for use in succeeding years. Sick leave is charged in one-half hour increments. No compensation is made for unused sick leave. MILITARY LEAVE Co-op students who are members of the National Guard or the Reserves of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, or Coast Guard, are entitled to military leave for a maximum of 15 calendar days each year with full pay and without charge against annual leave. Students in a leave-without-pay status are not entitled to military leave. MEDICAL INSURANCE The government sponsors a voluntary health insurance program offering a choice of insurance plans including basic coverage and major medical protection. The government contributes part of the premium cost and the student pays the balance through payroll deductions when in a work status. During a nonpay status, payment should be made by check payable to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Additional information concerning payment of health insurance premiums will be provided by the co-op program coordinator. MEDICARE INSURANCE Co-ops are subject to the Medicare hospital insurance portion of the Social Security (FICA) tax. LIFE INSURANCE Co-ops are eligible to participate in the Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) plan. The FEGLI plan provides coverage for life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment. RETIREMENT Co-ops are subject to the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). Co-op students hired since December 31, 1983, will be covered under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). FERS is a three-tiered plan which includes (1) a retirement annuity, (2) Social Security, and (3) a Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). Covered employees contribute to Social Security and also contribute an amount to FERS that will bring the two contributions to 7 percent of basic salary (subject to the Social Security ceiling.) HOUSING Students selected for co-op placement are responsible for finding their own housing. However, agency co-op program coordinators will provide students with up-to-date housing information when appointed to the program. TOUR OF DUTY The standard tour of duty established for Co-ops is a 40-hour week consisting of five eight-hour days plus a 30-minute lunch period between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. LUNCH PERIODS The taking of a lunch period is not at the discretion of the student. All periods of work of eight hours or more, whether regular or overtime, must provide for a normal lunch period of 30 minutes during which the student is entirely free of duties. It is not permissible for students to voluntarily forego the lunch period in order to shorten the scheduled tour of duty or to earn overtime. Exceptions to this policy will be explained by the Co-op Office or the supervisor. WORK SCHEDULES All co-op program participants may work up to 65 weeks or 2600 hours over a 24-month period. A service year is a 24-month period beginning with the date of the first appointment under the Cooperative Education Program. This limitation permits students to work in excess of 1300 hours one year if they work less than 1300 hours the next year. HOLIDAYS Co-ops will be paid for the following holidays when they are in a pay status: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King's Birthday, Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Veteran's Day, Columbus Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Martin Luther King's Birthday, Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Columbus Day are observed on designated Mondays. LEAVE-WITHOUT-PAY (LWOP) At the conclusion of each work period, students recommended for program retention will be placed in leave-without-pay status until their scheduled return-to-duty date. DEFINITIONS ACCREDITED INSTITUTION OR PROGRAM is a secondary or post-secondary institution or program that is legally authorized to offer academic programs that lead to a diploma, undergraduate certificate or diploma, or a degree. The institution or program must be formally recognized by an accrediting agency that has been listed as nationally recognized by the Secretary of Education. AGENCY means an Executive agency; and office, agency, or other establishment in the legislative or judicial branch that is subject to Office of Personnel Management requirements. ALTERNATING PERIODS OF STUDY AND EMPLOYMENT means alternating academic terms of classroom study and periods of supervised employment of Co-op students. CONVERSION refers to the noncompetitive placement of a student into the agency's permanent workforce once all cooperative education requirements at the agency and educational institution have been completed. COOPERATIVE EDUCATION (Co-op) is a plan of education which provides for: alternating or parallel periods of study and employment; working agreements among the agency, education institution, and student; paid work experiences related to the students' academic studies or career goals; work experiences which are supervised and evaluated under an agency's performance appraisal system; and experience sufficient in duration to qualify for career entry and conversion into the competitive service. ENROLLED IN COOPERATIVE EDUCATION means the status of a student who has been accepted into a qualifying educational institution's Co-op program and will be or has been placed into a cooperative education work experience. LEAVE-WITHOUT-PAY STATUS is the pay status in which a co-op student is placed during his/her periods of study. PARALLEL PERIODS OF STUDY AND EMPLOYMENT means concurrent periods of classroom study and supervised employment of Co-op students, carrying at least a half-time academic courseload and working a minimum of about 16 hours per week, based upon the school's and agency's agreement. DEFINITIONS QUALIFYING EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION means an accredited school that has the authority to administer requirements, standards, and credits necessary to award degrees, diplomas, and certificates and which: has a cooperative education program; has appropriate administrative and faculty support to coordinate the program; fosters a close relationship between study and work; and supports or will support a working agreement with a Federal agency. STUDENT means a person who is: enrolled in a qualifying educational institution's Co-op program, other than by correspondence, and enrolled in: a graduate or professional degree program, a baccalaureate degree program; or an associate degree program of not less than two academic years. HOW TO JOIN THE MSFC TEAM Contact the cooperative education office at your college or university and apply for participation as a co-op student. Advise your cooperative officials of your interest in being considered for placement at NASA so you can be nominated when vacancies occur. Have your co-op office forward a completed application form (SF-171), letter of recommendation, current transcript, and proposed work schedule to the NASA facility where you wish to work. Along with the SF-171 and letter of recommendation, graduate candidates must submit both undergraduate and graduate transcripts, a brief statement explaining career and dissertation, and certification of enrollment date in graduate school with the date classes began reflected. Selection for cooperative education positions will be made on the basis of the information provided above. An offer of employment letter will be mailed to selected candidates along with other reporting instructions. NASA COOPERATIVE EDUCATION PROGRAM COORDINATORS All correspondence concerning participation in NASA Cooperative Education programs should be forwarded to the following addresses: AMES RESEARCH CENTER LEWIS RESEARCH CENTER Attn: Linda Jensen Attn: Leroy McCreary Code APT 241-3 Code 500-301 Moffett Field, CA 94035 Cleveland, OH 44135 415/694-6985 216/433-2489 GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER Attn: Jim Harrington Attn: Thomas Holden Code 226 Code CM23 Greenbelt, MD 20771 MSFC, AL 35812 301/286-5757 205/544-7526 JOHNSON SPACE CENTER NATIONAL SPACE TECHNOLOGY LABS Attn: Jack Kochner Attn: Sharon Jeffers Code AH3 Code A Houston, TX 77058 NSTL Station, MS 39529 713/483-3965 601/688-2336 KENNEDY SPACE CENTER NASA HEADQUARTERS Attn: Steven Chance Attn: Catherine Zegowitz Code PM-TNG Code NHP Kenndey Space Center, FL 32899 Washington, DC 20546 305/867-2738 202/453-8507 LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER NASA-WIDE COORDINATOR Attn: Evelyn Harris Attn: Joanne Mueller Code 309 Code NPM Hampton, VA 23665 Washington, DC 20546 804/865-2611 202/453-2603