United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA 500-F-00-271
December 2000
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
SEPA
Brownfields Job Training
and Development
Demonstration Pilot
The Workplace Inc., Bridgeport, CT
Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5105)
Quick Reference Fact Sheet
EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative is designed to empower states, communities, and other
stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and
sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield is a site, or portion thereof, that has actual or perceived contamination and
an active potential for redevelopment or reuse. EPA is funding: assessment demonstration pilot programs (each funded
up to $200,000 over two years), to assess brownfields sites and to test cleanup and redevelopment models; job training
pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years), to provide training for residents of communities affected
by brownfields to facilitate cleanup of brownfields sites and prepare trainees for future employment in the environmental
field; and, cleanup revolving loan fund programs (each funded up to $1,000,000 over five years) to capitalize loan funds
to make loans for the environmental cleanup of brownfields. These pilot programs are intended to provide EPA, states,
tribes, municipalities, and communities with useful information and strategies as they continue to seek new methods
to promote a unified approach to site assessment, environmental cleanup, and redevelopment.
BACKGROUND
EPA has selected The Workplace, Inc., in Bridgeport
for a Brownfields Job Training and Development
Demonstration Project. The Workplace's assessment
pilot partner is the City of Bridgeport. The City also
has received a Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan
Fund Pilot. Two-thirds of the diverse residents of the
City of Bridgeport (population 137,000) are minorities.
English is not the primary language spoken in a third
of the City's households. The poverty rate is over
17%, and Bridgeport's child poverty rate is among the
highest in the nation.
Bridgeport was once a major manufacturing center.
The loss of much of its manufacturing base has
resulted injob loss, property deterioration, andeconomic
distress. Bridgeport has identified more than 200
brownfields in the City. An estimated 1,200 jobs have
been created through redevelopment stimulated by
the Brownfields Assessment Pilot. However, there
has been no concerted effort to employ local,
disadvantaged persons in environmental fields.
Environmental employer demand for brownfields
technicians is very high and is expected to increase.
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Date of Announcement:
December2000
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot will train 45
participants as environmental
technicians. Students will be
recruited from neighborhoods
impacted by brownfields within
Bridgeport's federal Enterprise
Community where an estimated
1,200 jobs have been created
through redevelopment
stimulated by the Brownfields
Assessment Pilot.
Contacts:
The Workplace, Inc.
(203)576-7030
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA - Region 1
(617)918-1210
Visit the EPA Region 1 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/region01/remed/brnfld/
Forfurther information, including specific Pilot contacts,
additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and
publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/
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TRAINING OBJECTIVES
The Workplace plans to train 45 participants, achieve
an 80%placement rate, and support career placement
of graduates for one year after the training is
completed. Participants will be recruited from
unemployed and underemployed residents, and high
school seniors who have participated in the
environmental education program, and who reside in
the inner-city neighborhoods impacted by brownfields
within Bridgeport's federal Enterprise Community.
The Enterprise Community encompasses 8.3 square
miles in the City's center. The 8-week Pilot training
program will consist of courses in health, safety, and
industrial hygiene; lead and asbestos abatement; and
40-hour HAZWOPER, including training in the use of
innovative assessment and remediation technologies.
Two additional weeks of internships will be conducted
after the classroom training.
The Workplace' s training efforts will be supported by
organizations such as the City of Bridgeport's Office
of Planning and Economic Development, Tufts
University, Environmental Management Geological
Consultants, Inc., Career Resources, Inc., VitaNuova,
ten community-based organizations, seven local
companies, and various local public agencies. Seven
local companies have committed to hiring graduates
of the Pilot training program.
ACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Conducting outreach to recruit residents from
unemployed and underemployed residents, and high
school seniors who have participated in the
environmental education program, and who reside
in the inner-city neighborhoods impacted by
brownfields within Bridgeport's federal Enterprise
Community;
• Conducting environmental technician training,
including courses in the use of innovative assessment
and cleanup technologies; and
• Supporting career placement of students for one
year after the job training is completed.
The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been negotiated;
therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.
Brownfields Job Training and Development Demonstration Pilot
December2000
TheWorkplace, Inc., Bridgeport, Connecticut
EPA500-F-00-271
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