United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, D.C. 20460 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5101) EPA 500-F-98-240 August 1998 &EPA Brownfields Job Training and Development Demonstration Pilot Impact Services Corporation, Philadelphia, PA Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5101) Quick Reference Fact Sheet The Brownfields Job Training and Development Demonstration Pilots will each be funded up to $200,000 over two years. These Pilots will bring together community groups, job training organizations, educators, labor groups, investors, lenders, developers, and other affected parties to address the issue of providing environmental employment and training for residents in communities impacted by brownfields. The goals of the Pilots are to facilitate cleanup of brownfields sites contaminated with hazardous substances and prepare trainees for employment in the environmental field, including training in alternative or innovative treatment technologies. BACKGROUND EPA has selected Impact Services Corporation for a Brownfields Job Training and Development Demonstration Pilot. Impact Services Corporation will concentrate its workforce development efforts in the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which is a Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot. The Job Training Pilot will target a distressed area in North Central Philadelphia with a population of 117,000. The area encompasses the American Street Empowerment Zone and the North Ameri- can Street Champion Community. The area's population is 58% minority and suffers from a 40% poverty rate, 20% unemployment rate, and an estimated 60% high school dropout rate. The City as a whole lost 67% of its manufacturing jobs between 1974 and 1994. Much of this job loss was in the residential neighborhoods that are part of the target area. This area is characterized by large vacant lots, abandoned commercial and industrial buildings, and deteriorating row houses. The efforts of Philadelphia to assess and clean up brownfields and address the lack of trained envi- ronmental technicians indicate a need for training. PILOT SNAPSHOT Impact Services Corporation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Date of Announcement: August 1998 Amount: $200,000 Profile: The Pilot targets unemployed and disadvantaged residents of the American Street Empowerment Zone and the North American Street Champion Community. Contacts: Impact Services Corporation (215)739-0243 Regional Brownfields Team U.S. EPA-Region 3 (215)814-3129 Visit the EPA Region 3 Brownfields web site at: http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/brownfld/hmpage1.htm 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/ ------- TRAINING OBJECTIVES Impact Services Corporation plans to train 30 students with the EPA grant, achieve an 80% placement rate, and track students for one year. Participants to be targeted are disadvantaged residents of the American Street Empowerment Zone and the North American Street Champion Community. The Pilot training program will consist of a 12-week environmental technician training curriculum that will include courses in the use of innovative assessment, cleanup, and mapping technologies. The training efforts of Impact Services Corporation will be supported by organi- zations such as the Philadelphia Commerce De- partment, Philadelphia Private Industry Council, and New Kensington Community Development Corporation. ACTIVITIES Activities planned as part of this Pilot include: • Developing a curriculum for brownfields assessment and cleanup; • Conducting environmental technician training, including courses in the use of innovative assessment, cleanup, and mapping technologies; and • Conducting outreach to recruit unemployed and disadvantaged residents of the American Street Empowerment Zone and the North American Street Champion Community. 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 Impact Services Corporation, August 1998 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania EPA 500-F-98-240 ------- |