Occupational Safety Consultant Apprentice, CSC Docket No. 2024-2482

BackgroundThe Division of Agency Services (Agency Services), on behalf the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, requests the creation of the noncompetitive title of Occupational Safety Consultant Apprentice.

By way of background, per the Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s request, the Occupational Safety Consultant Apprentice title will become a part of the already existing Occupational Safety Consultant series. The addition of the apprentice level will help increase recruitment and provide for growth within the title series. The new apprentice will ultimately move to the journeyman title Occupational Safety Consultant 1, which requires two years of experience.

Agency Services recommends the new apprentice title be allocated to the non- competitive division of the career service pursuant to N.J.A.C. 4A:3-1.2(c) because competitive testing is not practical due to the nature of the knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with the job. Specifically, this is an entry-level apprentice title, which is intended to provide on-the-job training as the knowledge, skills, and abilities with this title are essentially learned on the job. The title has been assigned a “P” (Professional Unit) bargaining unit by the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations. Additionally, Agency Services advises that it has provided notice and the opportunity to review the proposal to all collective negotiations units and all articulated issues have been reviewed and resolved. Finally, Agency Services requests that the changes specified become effective beginning on the first pay period following Civil Service Commission (Commission) approval of these actions.

CONCLUSION

RuleN.J.A.C. 4A:3-3.6(a) states, in pertinent part, that the Commission may determine that a new title or title series is necessary. N.J.A.C. 4A:3-1.2(a) states that the Commission shall allocate and reallocate career service titles between the competitive and non-competitive divisions. N.J.A.C. 4A:3-1.2(c) states that a job title may be placed in the non-competitive division on an ongoing or interim basis when it is determined that competitive testing is not practicable due to the nature of the knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with the job.

AnalysisBased on the foregoing, ample reasons exist for the creation of the subject title and to allocate the Occupational Safety Consultant Apprentice title to the non- competitive division of the career service. In this regard, the Occupational Safety Consultant Apprentice title is an entry-level apprentice position with no experience requirements as the skills required to perform the job are gained through on-the-job training. Given the lack of an experience requirement, competitive testing is not practicable since the knowledge, skills and abilities associated with this title are evaluated during the mandatory training period. In this regard, appointees would be required to successfully complete both a four-month working test period and a 24- month training period before moving to the Occupational Safety Consultant 1 journeyman title.

ORDER

Therefore, it is ordered that this request be granted, and the title of Occupational Safety Consultant Apprentice be established and allocated to the non- competitive division of the career service. This action shall be effective the beginning of the first pay period following the issue date of this decision.

ClosingThis is the final administrative determination in this matter. Any further review should be pursued in a judicial forum.