The Department of Civil Service may condition appointment or promotion to certain positions upon the satisfactory completion of a traineeship in an appropriate lower training title and, when required, the satisfactory completion of specified training courses. The period of such term of training shall be prescribed by the Department of Civil Service. Upon satisfactory completion of the traineeship, and any academic courses that may be required, appointees are entitled to full permanent status in the position for which the appointment was made. If an appointee's conduct, capacity or fitness is not satisfactory, or if he/she fails to pursue or satisfactorily continue any required academic courses, his/her employment may be discontinued at or before the end of the traineeship. The probationary period for appointment to trainee positions coincides with the length of the traineeship. However, where appointment from an open-competitive list can be made either to a trainee or journey level position, the length of the probationary period shall be for 26 to 52 weeks or the length of the training service, whichever is greater.
Classified Service Rules § 4.3, 4.5(c)
An employee appointed or advanced to a Trainee position, identified in PayServ as a Grade 800, as determined above, is placed into the position and the resultant salary is determined minimally by levels and amounts set by Civil Service Memorandums. The salary is determined as follows:
- An employee is appointed at the assigned minimum trainee rate at the appropriate level.
- An employee who has prior graded service, provided the grade does not exceed the target grade of the full graded title, where the current salary is above the minimum required will hold their higher salary.
- If immediately prior to moving to the traineeship, the employee held a grade higher than the target position, the trainee salary will be reconstructed as the target grade.
- If an employee is appointed above the Trainee 1 level, the salary will be assigned as directed in the Civil Service Memorandums for the bargaining unit.
- Early Advancement (fast-tracking) is defined as advancement from the second level of a two-year traineeship to the full-performance level of the target title after 18 months of service that exceeds the traineeship’s performance standards. The trainee must be, therefore, functioning at the full-performance level of the title after 18 months of service. Use of early advancement is at the discretion of the appointing authority after a documented review of an employee’s performance.
- “Advanced placement” within a traineeship is distinct from early advancement. Advanced placement allows appointment, based upon a candidate’s qualifications, to either the second level of a traineeship or the full performance level of the target title. Use of advanced placement is at the discretion of the appointing authority and used only at the time of original appointment. Only professional experience is creditable toward advanced placement.
- Note: For additional information of Advanced Placement and Early Advancement refer to DCS Advisory Memorandum #15-01 dated 2/26/2015.
As noted in the memorandums, an employee may be eligible for performance advances during the traineeship based on their performance ratings. The salary as the employee progresses through the traineeship to the different trainee levels or to the full graded title will be determined by moving the employee to the Hiring Rate of the target position or by adding the amount determined by Civil Service (increase upon completion). The agency must refer to DCS and their memorandums for guidance specific to individual traineeships; payments, and employee eligibility.
- In PayServ all trainees must be
- Placed in a NYSPosition which contains all the same attributes; such as pay basis code, bargaining unit, of the budgeted Position number.
- NYSPositions are created by the Position Management team at OSC.
- NYSPosition numbers may be multi-filled as long as all incumbents are at the same trainee level, all with the same attributes.