Career plans blend the leadership, management, scientific, and functional competencies, assignments, and training guidance needed by high potential civilians who aspire to key civilian leadership positions within the Army in specific career programs.

Most environmental positions are assigned to either of two civilian career programs (CPs):

• CP-18, Engineers and Scientists (Construction & Resources) managed by the Army Corps of Engineers, or
• CP-16, Engineers and Scientists (Non-Construction), managed by the Army Materiel Command.

Army Civilian Personnel On-Line (CPOL) at http://cpol.army.mil/train/acteds/ has links to approved Army Civilian Training, Education, and Development (ACTEDS) plans, including those for both CP-16 and CP-18.

Some environmental positions may also be part of the Department of Defense Facilities Engineer (FE) Acquisition Career Field. The Defense Acquisition University Web site hosts the FE Career Field Web pages as part of the Facilities Engineering Community of Practice.

Long-Term Training — Leader Development Programs

The web pages for the CP-16 and CP-18 career programs include information on Leadership Development programs particular to those career fields.

• For Army-wide programs, visit the CPOL's Personnel Management and Information Support System (PERMISS) at http://cpol.army.mil/permiss and click on "Training".
• You may also want to investigate the Joint Leader Development Division of the Defense Civilian Personnel Management System at http://www.cpms.osd.mil/Subpage/Library/. Links on the left menu connect to the Defense Leadership and Management Program (DLAMP) and the Executive Leadership Development Program (ELDP).

Environmental Internships through Oak Ridge Institute for Science & Education

Internships using Army civilian positions may be available through Major Army Commands or individual installations. However, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) operates a program that provides additional opportunities for individuals in undergraduate, graduate level, and postgraduate status. The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) Programs are operated for DOE by a university consortium, the Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU). ORISE leverages the strength of ORAU's major research institutions in science and education partnerships with government agencies and private industry. The ORISE Environmental Management Participation Program (EMPP) is operated through a Memorandum of Agreement with the US Army Environmental Center on behalf of Army installations. The EMPP is an educational opportunity for current students, recent graduates, and faculty members to be appointed to Army facilities in order to gain hands-on practical research experience which complements their educational background. Program details, registration information, and points of contact are available on the ORISE pages on this site.

For information on Army Intern Programs generally, consult Civilian Personnel On-Line at their Personnel Management and Information Support System page on Career Intern Programs.

Professional Associations

Professional associations are a way to keep up-to-date and network with other environmental professionals. Participation in professional associations also contributes to maintaining the highly regarded status of the Army's environmental personnel.

There are hundreds of associations for environmental professionals. Some of these are nested within regional or national umbrella organizations. An Internet search using your specialty or area of interest and "professional", "organizations", "societies", or "associations" may be the best way to target associations in which you might want to participate. The University of Iowa Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research maintains lists of environmental organizations.

Civilian Position Announcements

There are three important considerations when looking for a position.

1. Grade structures differ within agencies and between different agencies and departments;
2. As a person progresses in a career, he or she may become better qualified for additional job series; and
3. There is no one centralized place where all positions of interest to environmental professionals are posted.

The following sources, however, are likely to be of greatest use. Keep in mind that their search engines normally work with job titles and/or job descriptions. Hence, a search on "environmental" will not necessarily find all jobs with environmental protection duties (e.g. foresters).

• Many Army vacancy announcements can be searched from Army Civilian Personnel On Line (click on "Employment" then left-menu “Search for Jobs” — or “NAF Job Opportunities,” "Intern/Fellow Opportunities" or “Student Opportunities”).
• Defense Link at http://www.defenselink.mil/sites/c.html#civjobs has links to all military service personnel centers/offices.
• Office of Personnel Management at http://www.usajobs.gov/ is a good general link with refined, but easy, search capabilities.
• FirstGov has a large number of useful links.
• You can also search for government jobs at FedJobs' site http://www.fedjobs.com/index.html. Student programs are supported at FedJobs' "Student Programs Career Central" site http://www.fedjobs.com/lib/student.html?id=ge6iBNs2.

While there are numerous other sites on the Web claiming to assist you in your search, most are oriented to private industry, some are suspect, and few are likely to be any more help to you than your alumni or professional association, your Army career program registry, or the other sources listed above.

Special Circumstances

Persons in categories designated for special emphasis—those who have disabilities, Native Americans, Hispanics, Blacks, Asians and Pacific Islanders, and women—should also check with their local Special Emphasis Program Coordinator (SEPC) for information about initiatives and programs. SEPCs can usually be reached through the your human resources manager, Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) office, or regional Civilian Personnel Advisory Centers or Operations Centers (CPAC/CPOC). CPOL provides Web access to the Regional CPOCs. Among many supporting web sites are the following:

• OPM — Veterans
• OPM — People with Disabilities
• FirstGov — Native Americans