Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor Intern (College)

Are you passionate about helping people to identify and achieve their professional dreams? If you want to gain practical experience in vocational rehabilitation services and applying your knowledge to assist individuals with disabilities in obtaining gainful employment, consider this Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor Intern role. In this structured training program with the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR), Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation Services, you will learn to play a crucial part in helping Pennsylvania residents with disabilities to gain the skills necessary for living and working independently in their communities. If you are interested in experiencing the satisfaction of public service while enjoying professional career growth, the Department of Labor and Industry encourages you to join our team!

In this Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor Intern position, your focus will be learning to develop and maintain referral sources that ensure potential vocational rehabilitation customers are identified, as well as learning to determine and coordinate the delivery of vocational rehabilitation services to customers for your assigned type of caseload and coverage area. You will also help determine and create the appropriate vocational goals for each individual, provide counseling and guidance services, and assist in job placement for each customer. This hands-on, impactful opportunity will train you to combine your knowledge of casework principles and methods relating to vocational rehabilitation counseling; physical, mental, and sensory disabilities, their functional limitations, and their vocational implications; and employment practices and the skills, abilities, and physical demands of the more common occupations to enhance the opportunity for customer success.

The responsibilities you will learn also involve conducting comprehensive face-to-face interviews with each applicant to gather relevant information; explaining our eligibility requirements, scope of services, and processes; consulting with related professionals and service providers; and determining each customer's eligibility for services. Close collaboration and consultation with customers, and appropriate interested parties, is critical for effectively determining appropriate vocational goals and developing individualized vocational plans to achieve them. This also includes learning to liaise with agency resources to coordinate planned services and job placements, arrange and approve standard expenditures, and evaluate and document customer progress.

If you are ready to begin a rewarding professional career making a lasting, positive difference in the lives of persons with disabilities, we want to hear from you!

Work Schedule and Additional Information:

• Full-time employment
• Work hours are typically 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday - Friday. Work hours are negotiable - 7.5 hour workday and lunch period is 30 minutes or 60 minutes depending on work hours. The selected candidate may be eligible for Alternate Work Schedules.
• Telework: You may have the opportunity to work from home (telework) part-time, upon successful completion of the training period. In order to telework, you must have a securely configured high-speed internet connection and work from an approved location inside Pennsylvania. If you are unable to telework, you will have the option to report to the headquarters office. The ability to telework is subject to change at any time. Additional details may be provided during the interview.
• Salary: Selected candidates who are new to employment with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will begin employment at the starting annual salary of $45,907 (before taxes).
• You will receive further communication regarding this position via email. Check your email, including spam/junk folders, for these notices.

QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum Experience and Training Requirements:

• Current enrollment in the final year of a master's degree program in vocational rehabilitation counseling, rehabilitation education, or rehabilitation administration.

Special Requirement:

• Authorization by the college or university for the student to participate in the Commonwealth's Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor Intern Program. Upon entering the internship, the student must be enrolled in the final semester of the appropriate master's degree program.

Other Requirements:

• PA residency requirement is currently waived for this title.
• You must be able to perform essential job functions.

Legal Requirements:

• This position falls under the provisions of the Child Protective Services Law.
  • Under the Law, a conditional offer of employment will require submission and approval of satisfactory criminal history reports including, but not limited to, PA State Police clearance, PA Child Abuse history clearance, and FBI Fingerprint clearance.

How to Apply:

• Resumes, cover letters, and similar documents will not be reviewed, and the information contained therein will not be considered for the purposes of determining your eligibility for the position. Information to support your eligibility for the position must be provided on the application (i.e., relevant, detailed experience/education).
• If you are claiming education in your answers to the supplemental application questions, you must attach a copy of your college transcripts for your claim to be accepted toward meeting the minimum requirements. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable.
• Your application must be submitted by the posting closing date. Late applications and other required materials will not be accepted.
• Failure to comply with the above application requirements may eliminate you from consideration for this position.
• All application materials and interview responses must reflect the applicant's own experience, qualifications, and work. Applicants may use generative AI tools for preparation purposes only. Use of AI to misrepresent or falsify information, or to assist during interviews, is not permitted. Review the Guidance for Generative AI Tools & Job Seekers for additional information.

Veterans:

• Pennsylvania law (51 Pa. C.S. *7103) provides employment preference for qualified veterans for appointment to many state and local government jobs. To learn more about employment preferences for veterans, go to www.pa.gov/agencies/employment/how-to-apply.html and click on Veterans.

Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS):

• 711 (hearing and speech disabilities or other individuals).

If you are contacted for an interview and need accommodations due to a disability, please discuss your request for accommodations with the interviewer in advance of your interview date.

The Commonwealth is an equal employment opportunity employer and is committed to a diverse workforce. The Commonwealth values inclusion as we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most qualified people to serve the citizens of Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, ancestry, union membership, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, AIDS or HIV status, disability, or any other categories protected by applicable federal or state law. All diverse candidates are encouraged to apply.

• Completing the application, including all supplemental questions, serves as your exam for this position. No additional exam is required at a test center (also referred to as a written exam).
• Your score is based on the detailed information you provide on your application and in response to the supplemental questions.
• Your score is valid for this specific posting only.
• You must provide complete and accurate information or:
  • your score may be lower than deserved.
  • you may be disqualified.
• You may only apply/test once for this posting.
• Your results will be provided via email.