10 Years of Investment in EPA's Brownfields Job Training Program
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"~\~ hrough the jjrownrields Job "Draining | rogram,
's literally putting both people and pro
skill
pertu
! ^
back to work. Dy teaching people the skills to
revitalize their own neighborhoods, we are helping
d> I C?
improve lives and livelihoods in communities across
the nation."
-Steve Johnson, EPA Administrator
November 13, 2006
furpose
This report demonstrates the benefits of EPA's Brownfields
Job Training Program and discusses the ways in which it
complements broader workforce development initiatives.
It also provides a historical overview of the program and
talks about where the program is today. The examples
in this report come from five EPA Brownfields Job
Training grants.
The Tucson, Arizona Job Training graduates of 2007.
Prepared by:
SRA International, Inc. (Contract No. EP-W-07-023)
3434 Washington Boulevard
Arlington, VA22201
Prepared for:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response
Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization
Washington, DC 20460
"ELI A recognizes that cleaning up brownrields
sites matt be onlu part or the lareer challenge
r - r - - - i- -
rora community that is trying to revitalize its
neighborhoods. Dy providing job train ing grants, we
are helping residents get the jobs that are created
when the brownrields in their community are cleaned
up. These grants trulu help put both people and
ill
places back to work."
-Susan Bodine,
Assistant Administrator for EPA s Office of Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
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Introduction
T,
he transition from a manufacturing-based economy has
created both environmental challenges and socioeconomic
development opportunities for communities throughout the
United States. EPA estimates that over the next 30 years,
more than $200 billion in economic activity will result from
the cleanup of approximately 294,000 waste sites .
To help the often disadvantaged communities most affected
by brownfields share in the benefits of this growing
market, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
established the Brownfields Job Training Program. Through
this program, EPA provides environmental cleanup and
health and safety training to residents of brownfields-
impacted communities who are seeking new skills and
greater earning potential. The Job Training Program
meets community needs in several ways: it helps clean
up brownfields, spurs economic development, and creates
a pool of qualified environmental technicians capable of
meeting the environmental cleanup industry's demand
for workers. To date, more than 4,000 individuals have
graduated from EPA-funded brownfields job training
programs. These graduates generally pursue three paths
after graduation: 1) employment in the environmental field
(approximately 2,500 nationally); 2) employment in other
fields; or 3) further education.
Through funding and technical assistance, EPA's
Brownfields Program transforms properties and
surrounding communities. The Job Training Program
transforms individual lives by empowering unemployed
and underemployed, predominantly low-income and
minority residents. Brownfields Job Training grants serve
communities that receive, or have received, financial
assistance from EPA for Brownfields Assessment,
Revolving Loan Fund, or Cleanup competitive grants
and help residents take advantage of jobs created by the
assessment, cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields.
Through this link to on-the-ground brownfields assessment
and cleanup activity, brownfields job training programs
expand upon local workforce development efforts—
training residents of brownfields-impacted communities
for the environmental jobs mat cleanup contractors might
otherwise fill from outside the community. The EPA
Brownfields Job Training Program opens the door to the
environmental industry for those who are interested in
entering the field. To date, EPA has funded 118 Brownfields
Job Training grants totaling over $23 million. Of the more
than 4,000 who have completed the EPA-funded training,
more than 2,500 obtained employment in the environmental
field, earning an average starting hourly wage of $13.88.
1. 2004 EPA Report titled "Cleaning the Nation's Waste Sites: Markets and
Technology Trends"
Oakland, California Job Training Program
For the Oakland Private Industry Council, an initial Brownfields Job Training
grant in 1998 allowed them to implement an environmental remediation
component to a workforce development organization that has been
conducting job training since 1989.
The Oakland Private Industry Council, receiving their
Brownfields Job Training Grant in 1998.
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j~~|istory or tne £>rownrields Job Draining | rogram
T,
he Brownfields Program is a job generator, leveraging
jobs through assessment, cleanup, and redevelopment.
Within the first two years of the Brownfields Program, EPA
learned from local stakeholders that there may be value
in a job training program that would train residents in
brownfields communities for environmental careers. Such
a program would offer direct, life-changing benefits in
brownfields communities, and prepare the local workforce
to help transform sites addressed through the Brownfields
Program's Assessment and Revolving Loan Fund grants.
The first seeds of Brownfields Job Training—and of the
Brownfields Program itself—emerged in the early 1990s,
reflecting EPA's growing concern for "environmental
equity," later known as environmental justice issues. Visiting
the Industrial Excess Landfill Superfund site in Uniontown,
Ohio, staff from EPA's Office of Solid Waste and
Emergency Response (OSWER) expected the surrounding
community to have benefited from job opportunities related
to the site's ongoing monitoring. However, EPA staff
found mat all of the site-related jobs had been filled by
environmental professionals from other cities, due to a lack
of environmental training among the local workforce.
To correct that disparity, EPA awarded local Cuyahoga
County Community College with an "Environmental
Justice" Pilot grant in 1991. The lessons learned helped
shape application requirements for what would eventually-
become Brownfields Job Training grants. EPA later
targeted their Brownfields Job Training grants towards
communities with active brownfields revitalization
programs—ensuring that graduates would benefit from
their new skills through local job opportunities. Today's
Brownfields Job Training programs commonly work with
area employers, modifying curricula to suit local needs and
placing graduates through first-source hiring and similar
arrangements.
During the initial years of the Brownfields Program,
EPA had no resources allocated for job training. EPA
collaborated with the Hazardous Materials Training
and Research Institute (HMTRI) to offer environmental
education and training program assistance to community
colleges located near Superfund and other hazardous
waste sites. In the mid-1990s, EPA sought the expertise
of a number of federal entities with established job
training programs, including the National Institute on
Environmental Health Science (NIEHS). In 1996, EPA
Brownfields Job Training
Program Timeline
1991 - Present
996: EPA signs Memorandum of
dei-standing with the Department
rf Labor focusing on job training
and employment opportunities
\ated to the Brownfields Program
for local youths and adults
iyy»: National Institute oj
Environmental Health Sciences
establishes Broivnfields
Minority Worker Training
Program with Brownfields
Showcase Communities
September
1999: First
100 graduates
obtain
employment
1991: Cuyahoga
County Community
College Environmental
Justice Grant
January 1995:
EPA announces
the first
Brownfields Pilots
1998: EPA
awards first 11
Brownfields Job
Training Pilots
June 1999:
First 100
participants
complete
training
-------
signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), to develop
environmental job training programs in urban locations
with DOL-funded Private Industry Councils (now known
as Workforce Investment Boards).
Brownfields revitalization and environmental justice
considerations are deeply connected. Through the
revitalization of brownfields, idle, dilapidated, and often
contaminated properties are returned to productive use,
enhancing public health and safety, improving property
values and aesthetics, and boosting local economies in
the typically low-income, minority communities these
properties had negatively affected. In 1995, EPA convened
the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council
(NEJAC) Waste and Facility Siting Subcommittee, to
conduct public dialogues on the links between brownfields
redevelopment and environmental justice. These forums
led to the realization that brownfields redevelopment must
be coordinated with broader strategies of job creation,
training, and career development. Combining these
approaches would in turn produce demonstrable benefits
for communities facing environmental justice issues.
The Brownfields Job Training Program has since built
upon this idea by providing grants for environmental job
training, facilitating programs and partnerships that offer
sustainable careers and unprecedented opportunities for
residents of affected communities.
In 1997, EPA recognized that it could initiate a
Brownfields Job Training Program under Section 311(b)
(9) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), which
specifically allowed EPA to conduct environmental job
training. EPA funded its first round of Brownfields Job
Training Pilots in 1998. Awarded to 11 entities including
cities, community colleges, universities, and non-profits,
these pilots were designed to complement the Brownfields
Program's four main goals: protecting the environment,
promoting partnerships, strengthening the marketplace,
and sustaining reuse.
When the first program graduates quickly found jobs
with salaries ranging from $14-30 per hour, word got out,
and waiting lists began to form for training programs.
Individual stories of lives being turned around through
environmental job training emerged. Employers formed
Number of Number of 2005: HMTRI develops the Brownfields
participants participants Toolbox to provide brownfields communities
f- ing completed having obtained with knowledge and tools necessary to
training emplovment maximize job development, education, and
reaches 1,000 reaches 1,000 employment opportunities
December 2005:
am utvurus Job Training grants
to the Mississippi Department of
Environmental Quality and Southern
University to recruit and train
residents of hurricane
Katrina-affected areas
October 2001:
Brownfields Job
Training graduates
participate in post-
attack cleanup at
the World Trade
2005: NIEHS awards supplemental Brownfields
March 2007:
6 Minority Worker Training funds to Dillard University- December Number of participants
January2002: the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, the 2006: having completed
President Office of Applied Innovations, Inc., and the Center Number of training reaches 4,C
Bush signs the fo ^^ mrkers'Rights toprovide environmental graduates
Brownfields job training to ioc(d residents affected by Hi
umcanes
Amendments
Katrina and Rita along the Gulf Coast
having obtained
employment
-------
relationships with the job training organizations and came
to depend on graduates to fill positions. After the success
of the initial pilots, 25 additional Job Training grants were
awarded in 2000, with EPA incorporating lessons learned
into this most recent round of awards. While the initial
Job Training Pilots could use their first year to develop
an environmental job training curriculum, these latest
and future pilots were required to have training curricula
already developed. Individual training programs were also
required to track graduates for at least a year, to ensure
that trainees not only found jobs, but retained them.
Furthermore, training organizations needed to demonstrate
already-established partnerships and leveraged funding
sources. Later rounds of Brownfields Job Training
grant awards gave preference to established job training
organizations with proven placement programs.
On January 11, 2002, the Small Business Liability Relief
and Brownfields Revitalization Act was signed into law.
Known as the "Brownfields Law," this legislation amended
CERCLA to specifically authorize federal financial
assistance for brownfields revitalization, including grants
for assessment, cleanup, and job training. Federal funding
for Brownfields Job Training grants were authorized under
section 104(k)(6) of CERCLA, which authorized EPA to
provide grants for training to facilitate site assessment.
remediation of brownfields sites, or site preparation. For
the first time, CERCLA had included language specifically
authorizing Job Training Grants under EPA's Brownfields
Program.
Training Residents Affected by Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita through the Brownfields
Minority Worker Training Program
In 2006, NIEHS received $800,000 from EPA for minority worker
training in communities affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. From
February 2006 through July 2007, approximately 591 students were
trained through this funding. Training occurred in New Orleans, LA
and surrounding parishes; in Port Arthur, TX; and in Houston, TX. Of
those trained, approximately 272 were small business employees and
community residents that used their newfound knowledge to assist
in the cleanup of their communities. Graduates of this supplemental
program had an overall job placement rate
of nearly 70 percent.
dore (Curriculum
for a £>rownrielas Job | raining (jrantee
Occupational Safety And Health Administration (OSHA)
Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response
Standard (HAZWOPER)
Asbestos and Lead Paint Abatement
Environmental Site Technician
Soil And Ground-water Sampling
Confined Space Entry
Demolition/Debris Removal
Environmental Health and Safety
Other ,f}pecialized Training
Mold Remediation
Phytoremediation
Hazardous Substance Transportation
Disaster Site Worker
Vapor Intrusion
Construction
Alternative Technologies
Benefits of the £>rownf ields
Job j raining j rogram
1. Helps residents take advantage of jobs created by the
assessment and cleanup of brownfields
2. Provides training that leads to sustainable employment in
the environmental field
3. Improves community involvement and stimulates the
development of constructive partnerships
4. Fosters self sufficiency and enhances the skills and
availability of labor for environmental remediation in
communities impacted by brownfields, which facilitates
the assessment and remediation of these sites
Enables residents
to participate in
the promotion of
environmental
health and
occupational
safety, both on
the job and in
their communities
Brooklyn, New York
Job Training Program
As described by a graduate of the
Brownfields Job Training program,
"I now have a respect for myself, and my
family sees it when I get up and go to
work every day."
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CLomponents or a Job j raining | rogram Job | raining | rogram Profiles
here are many critical components of a job training
program, some of which are listed below. These core
components need to be in place before implementing an
environmental job training curriculum.
Concurrent Technologies
Corporation,
North Carolina Job
Training Program
A graduate of this program obtained
employment as a project manager
earning a salary of $42,000 a
year. One of the main goals of the
Brownfields Job Training Program is to
provide graduates with the opportunity
to earn a "living wage."
Marketing the
Program
Marketing the
Brownfields Job
Training Program to
the community such
that the community
understands the benefits
and develops a desire
to participate.
Link to Existing
Workforce
Development Programs
Ideally, grantees should have existing workforce
development training programs established so that life-
skills training, instructors, facilities, and equipment are
already in place.
Partnerships With Private Industry
Leveraging partnerships with environmental remediation
industry representatives to create curricula that meet the
industry's market needs in a particular geographic region.
Rigorous Application and Admission Process
Scrutinizing and interviewing applicants so that participant
expectations are communicated and the nature of the
environmental job industry is clearly understood.
Placement
An essential component of any job training program is
ensuring graduate placement. Many Brownfields Job
Training grantees form advisory boards mat consist of
private industry representatives and conduct market
analyses to make graduates more attractive to employers.
he following pages include case studies that offer
details on EPA-funded Job Training programs and
demonstrate the five critical components of such programs.
These case studies also illustrate the inherent differences
of job training programs based on the types of entities
establishing them.
Students from the Shreveport, Louisiana Brownfields Job Training Program
participate in hands-on training.
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(College ~^t. [_ouis3 MJSSOUn
I argeted Recruitment Area ana £>aclcgrouna
The cities of St. Louis, Missouri and East St. Louis, Illinois — separated by the
Mississippi River — encompass a federally designated Empowerment Zone covering
the area's most economically challenged communities. Of the approximately 50,000
Empowerment Zone residents, nine out often are minority, nearly one-fourth are
unemployed, and almost half live in poverty.
In 1999, having already provided multiple Brownfields Assessment and Cleanup
grants to St. Louis, East St. Louis, and St. Louis County, EPA partnered with St. Louis
Community College (SLCC) to conduct a listening tour of neighborhoods affected
by brownfields. The listening tour revealed a link to environmental justice issues and
a need for environmental training. SLCC recognized the opportunity to enhance its
existing job training curricula with environmental courses, while at the same time
addressing the community's unemployment and environmental justice issues through
an EPA Brownfields Job Training grant. After applying in 1999, SLCC was awarded
its first $200,000 Brownfields Job Training grant in 2000.
d fc>tj th
Job "{"raining | rogram
rown
field
Job Training Program
Component Example:
0 Marketing the Program
As with all of the case studies
included in this report, the St. Louis
Community College Brownfields Job
Training Program incorporates all of
the components required for success.
However, what separates this
program from others is the innovative
way it recruits trainees—through
collaboration and communication
with local, community advocate
organizations. These organizations
help to spread the word about the
program and ensure that those
who apply for training are stellar
candidates.
According to Project Manager Jim Monahan, 'This training program was similar to
other job training programs. However, there was a learning curve regarding proper
screening techniques for participants in this type of employment training." Monahan did say that tracking graduates turned
out to be tougher than expected. ''Reasons for [graduates being hard to track] include their having moved on to new jobs
and homes, and their phone numbers changing," explains Monahan. "But those things essentially speak to the success of the
training program."
T~he Community College Approach
SLCC's goal was to recruit unemployed and underemployed residents of the area's Empowerment Zone as candidates for
training. The community college formed a partnership with St. Louis University and together, they created a six week, full-
time training schedule that included lead and asbestos abatement,
Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standard
(HAZWOPER) certification, OSHA Safety Training, and life skills/
job preparedness courses. "The approach was, and continues to be,
to give trainees as many certifications as possible so that they have a
variety of opportunities for employment," explains Monahan. "We're
giving people opportunities that otherwise wouldn't be there."
What makes the SLCC Brownfields Job Training Program unique
is its use of partnerships to recruit trainees. Along with St. Louis
University, the SLCC collaborates with groups including the
city's Father Support Center, Youth Build St. Louis, Employment
Connections, local veterans' associations, and other local community
advocate organizations. These groups refer potential trainees to
the SLCC program and offer continued, specialized assistance
st. LOU,S Community College Job Training graduation. once training is underway. "We have an advantage, because the
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r a i n i
n g P
SLCC's Job Training Curriculum:
Unique Aspects
• Supervisor-Level
Certifications
By providing supervisory level
certifications, graduates can apply for
supervisor licenses after one year of
field experience.
college has a very visible presence
in the community," says Monahan.
"People feel they can approach us,
and community groups are always
willing to partner with us. The key to
the program's success has been our
partnerships in the community."
Once referred by a partner
organization, potential trainees are
screened before being called in for
initial interviews. Those selected
beyond that stage must attend an
orientation session. "We clearly
outline expectations, so that they know
what they are getting into," explains
Monahan. "We make them understand
the responsibility involved, that they
have to show up every single day."
Given the city's industrial history, the
demand for skilled asbestos workers
influences both the curriculum and
the graduation schedule. Asbestos
abatement is emphasized more than
any other part of the program, and
training is structured so that students
graduate in the spring, when most
of the city's asbestos abatement jobs
become available.
Development
Progress
The SLCC Job Training Program's
screening process ensures a high rate
of retention among students—of the
119 students selected for training, 105
graduated—a rate of more than 88
percent. A second Brownfields Job
Training grant awarded to SLCC in
2004 funded two years of additional
environmental training. The program
no longer utilizes Brownfields Job
Training funding, and is currently
funded through NIEHS grants. In
response to Hurricane Katrina, a mold
remediation course and disaster site
worker training were added to the
curriculum, and some graduates were
deployed to the storm-damaged area.
The wealth of new opportunities
available to graduates has been
dramatic. "You can see a physical
difference in the community," says
Monahan. "For our first round of
graduates, the demand was huge, and
people got jobs very quickly."
A Graduate's Experience
When St. Louis resident Everett
Jenkins first heard about the SLCC
Brownfields Job Training Program,
he was driving a forklift. But with a
daughter entering college, he was on
the lookout for better opportunities.
He was accepted to the SLCC program
after spending time on the waiting list.
"I was looking to get into something
I could make a career out of," Jenkins
explains. "But since you don't get
paid [forme training], I spent six
weeks working at night and going to
the training classes during the day.
But I wasn't in it for the fun of it... I
knew that the training would give me
licenses and certifications that would
always be good, wherever I lived."
By the time Jenkins graduated from the
program, there were already jobs lined
MISSOURI
up. "They have a list of employers
you can contact," he explains, "and
when my [State of Missouri asbestos
abatement] license went through, I had
a job waiting."
Jenkins credits the program with
providing him with new opportunities.
"I can't say enough about it," he
elaborates. "They give you everything
you need to get a job, but you have to
apply and sell yourself... you have to
go get it. I was making decent money
before, getting by, but nothing like
now that I'm in the union. With my
daughter going to college, it allowed
me to get the tilings that she needed
and take some of the pressure off. The
training was a sacrifice... taking it
while working full-time for six weeks.
But sometimes you have to make a
sacrifice to better yourself."
A student thanks his teacher at the St. Louis
Community College Job Training graduation.
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~]~Yenton3 New Jerseu
\j
I argeted {Recruitment Area ana £)aclrownfields
raining | rogram
Though the program's first training went exceptionally well, Elyse Pivnick, Vice
President for Environmental and Community Health Programs at Isles, explains that
mere were some unexpected bumps along the path. "Due to budget constraints, we
were only able to budget for one staff person, and that proved unrealistic," she explains.
"We also ended up having to pay for our life-skills training, which we anticipated
would be provided pro-bono by another local program. The situation required us to
seek additional funds from other sources, and we were fortunate to be able to do so."
Job Training Program
Component Example:
0 Link To Existing
Workforce Development
Programs
As a community development
organization that had been in
operation for more than a quarter
of a century at the time of its
Brownfields Job Training grant,
Isles, Inc. already had well-
established, enduring partnerships
with the City of Trenton, local
colleges and universities, and
a number of other community
assistance organizations.
Isles made the most of those
connections, giving its students
access to established, certified
HAZMAT, asbestos, and other
environmental remediation
courses, as well as life-skills
training.
Student transportation turned out to be another substantial challenge. "Initially, we
thought we would be able to use our existing transportation to take students to the University of Medicine and Dentistry
School of New Jersey (UMDNJ) facility and back," says Pivnick. "As it turned out the intended transportation was not
available, so we had to rent a bus instead. Job placement
can be very difficult when graduates lack flexible
transportation; we have identified many job opportunities
mat unfortunately turned out to be too far away or
inaccessible by public transportation."
cc(3.heclcing~|n" to Evaluate and Fnsure
frogress
To develop its curriculum, Isles collaborated with the
University of Medicine and Dentistry School of New
Jersey (UMDNJ), which already had an environmental
training program. "It helped mat we had their tried-and-true
training structure," says Pivnick. "With UMDNJ already
certified to teach HAZWOPER and hazardous materials/
asbestos abatement, we wouldn't have to reinvent the
wheel."
Students from the Isles, Inc. Brownfields Job Training Program,
suited up for training.
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Job T
r a i n i
n g F
frof
Isles, Inc.'s Job Training
Curriculum: Unique Aspects
• History of Brownfields
Presentation
"This component helps students
understand that they are part of
something important."
- Elyse Pivnick
Isles' Vice President for Environmental
and Community Health Programs
Isles also partnered with Mercer
County Community College to provide
life-skills training in basic finances,
budgeting, cover letter/resume writing,
interview and workplace conduct, and
driver's license preparation. "For a lot
of employers, a driver's license can
be an essential part of their [hiring]
decision," explains Megan Ruf, former
Manager of Isles'job training program.
"We developed a 'Clean Slate" program
to help pay outstanding fines so that
background checks wouldn't be a
problem."
To recruit potential trainees, Isles
conducted a broad outreach effort by
posting flyers in unemployment offices,
laundromats and community centers.
It developed a program brochure and
held information sessions on Saturdays
and in the evenings, when interested
candidates could have their questions
answered before applying to the
program.
Once candidates made it through an
approval process that included a five-
page application and a panel interview,
they entered the ten-week training
program—which included a 40-hour
HAZWOPER course; courses in lead
and asbestos abatement; Occupational
Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) construction awareness;
confined space entry certification;
and courses in math, computer skills,
English, writing and life skills.
Environmental Justice and OSHA
rights training were provided by the
New Jersey Work Environmental
Council, and representatives from
local environmental companies
provided day trips where students
received hands-on experience at actual
job sites.
One additional, innovative aspect
of the training was a course on the
history and significance of brownfields,
provided by the City of Trenton.
"It helped bring the concept of
brownfields to the students," explains
Pivnick. "If we had just given them
asbestos and other training without
any sort of context, it wouldn't have
worked as well. This helped students
understand that they were part of
something important."
In another of Isles' unique approaches,
staff met regularly with trainees to
evaluate progress and offer advice.
"This was really effective," says Ruf.
"It gave students positive feedback and
let them know what they needed to
do to improve. Since this was a long,
unpaid training course, that kind of
motivation was essential."
Isles' first Brownfields Job Training
class of 25 produced 23 graduates, at
least half of whom are now employed.
The organization plans to continue
with another year of training, and
produce at least one more graduating
class of the same size.
A Graduate's T= xperience
At the time he first heard about the
Isles, Inc. Brownfields Job Training
Program,
Greg Perry
had limited
options.
"I was
in-between
transitional
housing facilities," he explains, "So I
was pretty much homeless at the time."
Also unemployed, Perry was told about
Isles' training through the Mayor's
Office of Employment. "I was looking
to better myself and the situation I was
in. And once I found out about the
credentials that I could acquire through
the program, I really grabbed onto it.
"For me, the most valuable part of the
training was the hands-on experience.
We went out and had actual training,
being lowered into manholes, confined
spaces, and such. I'm now working in
lead abatement for an environmental
service company, and [at Isles] we
had training in exactly that. We were
also prepared for confined space
training, and I'm now waiting to hear
back on a job where I'd get to use that
certification. The training has really
paid off forme."
Soil analysis taking place at the Isles. Inc.
Brownfields Job Training Program.
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O'ttj or ~j~ucson, /Arizona
~J~argeted Recruitment /^rea and L>aclcground
Tucson, Arizona, has its share of brownfields, and the city has received multiple EPA
Brownfields grants to assess and clean up industrial sites that include former landfills,
rail yards, and milling operations. Most of these sites are located within a federally
designated Empowerment Zone containing nearly 50,000 residents, of whom 60
percent are minority and 70 percent qualify as low-income. As part of restoring the
area's brownfields, local companies expressed a need for entry-level environmental
technicians. To help meet this demand while also serving the community, the city
applied for and received an EPA Brownfields Job Training grant in 2005 .
(Challenges j^aced by the ~j~ucson £>rownfields
Job ~]~Yaining \ rogram
One of the challenges encountered by the program was that it was not affiliated with
an educational institution. "Gathering and retaining instructors and then juggling
schedules to fit the program was challenging," remarks Lisa Cuestas, Program
Manager with the City of Tucson. In addition, recruitment has proved to be difficult.
There was a lot of initial interest in the program, but after interested recruits found out
how intense the training was, interest levels fell off.
Environmental professionals as
Job Training Program
Component Example:
0 Partnerships with
Private Industry
With a primary goal of creating
entry-level environmental
technicians to meet the growing
demand of local firms, it seems
only logical that Tucson's
Brownfields Job Training Program
would emphasize partnerships with
local industry. A special advisory
board made up of representatives
from private industry and the public
sector helps mold the program's
curriculum. Some representatives
also act as mentors to students
throughout their training, offering
real-world experience and career
connections once training is
complete.
The primary focus of Tucson's Brownfields Job Training Program is to develop
entry-level environmental technicians to serve as resources to local companies while
creating opportunities for residents of the economically-disadvantaged area.
Collaborating with the Pima County Community College and the Southern
Arizona Environmental Management Society (a non-profit organization
that promotes education and understanding of environmental issues), the
city developed a five month, 208-hour training program. The program
includes a 40-hour HAZWOPER certification course, 10 hours of general
industry OSHA training, and courses in media sampling, environmental
site assessment, environmental compliance, lead and asbestos abatement,
and remediation technology. Program trainees are recruited from the
Empowerment Zone.
The first class was comprised of nearly an equal amount of men and women,
something that was somewhat unexpected, says Cuestas. She attributes that
equal ratio to one of the program's more unique characteristics—mat classes
are held only nights and weekends. "It allows more women to attend," she
elaborates. "One graduate had two kids and she would wait for her husband to
come home, then she'd go to class... women love this program."
Another of the program's unique aspects is that each student is assigned an
environmental professional from local, private industry who acts as a mentor
throughout the training. Students "shadow" their mentors on environmental
jobs to get real-world exposure in the work community. These mentors also
serve as references for students after graduation.
Students in Tucson, Arizona,
gaining field experience.
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Job "["raining program profile
ARIZONA
Tucson's Job Training
Curriculum: Unique Aspects
• "Hands-On" Training
By providing participants with a
"hands-on" approach to training, it
gives them real-life and practiced skills.
This makes graduates more attractive
to potential employers.
The program also uses an advisory
board made up of representatives
from local environmental firms and
the community college. The board
provides feedback on the program
and helps mold the curriculum, which
reflects the local environmental
companies' steady
demand for entry-level technicians.
Once training is complete, the
City of Tucson organizes a job fair
where graduates can interview with
representatives from environmental
firms.
Workforce Development
Progress
At the end of the first training
period, 16 of the 17 enrolled students
graduated. Nearly 90 percent of those
graduates are now employed. There
has since been another graduating class
of 10 and at the last post-graduation
job fair, three former graduates were
recruiting for their companies.
One of those graduates had been
assembling bicycles prior to joining the
training program. After the program, he
found a position with an environmental
company. He has since been promoted,
and the company is looking to hire
another of the program's graduates to
fill his former position.
A Graduate's Experience
In 2003, Celia Martinez was a single
mother who had just been laid off from
her job in an industrial wire bonding
facility in Tucson. "I had been there
for 23 years," Martinez explains,
"I thought I had some job security,
but I was wrong... I knew I wanted
something for a career, but I didn't
know what it was."
Martinez learned of the Brownfields
Job Training Program only a few days
before the application process ended.
She took to the training from the
beginning. "It was the most exciting
and valuable training I've ever taken,"
she says. "Every teacher you had was
involved in the field, and you learned
things that you would actually be able
to use, unlike a lot of other classes.
And when it was time to get a job, I
could tell them about soil extraction,
and monitoring wells, and I was
ready."
Shortly after graduation, Martinez
attended the job fair, where she had
four immediate offers. "I was picky
and went with the one I wanted,"
she explains. "I ended up overseeing
construction of a PCB [polychlorinated
biphenyls] treatment plant, and now
they've made me the plant operator."
At the job fair for the latest round of
graduates, Martinez was chosen to
attend as her company's representative.
She has advice for those interested in
the city's environmental job training
program. "If you want something
different and exciting, and something
that is actually helping our community
and the world, this is the job to have."
Graduates of the Tucson. Arizona Brownfields Job Training Program of 2006.
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Conservation (^.orps, LOS Angeles, (California
I argeted R.ecruitment /\
ana £>aclcgrouna
The Alameda Corridor in Los Angeles, California, is a former industrial area
that lies within a densely populated, federally designated Empowerment Zone
of approximately 19 square miles. Poverty rates in this zone are as high as 40
percent, and unemployment rates are close to 20 percent. Since 1986, the non-
profit L.A. Conservation Corps (LACC) has provided at-risk young adults and
school-aged youth with job training, education, and work skills training with an
emphasis on environmental and service projects mat benefit the community.
The LACC has worked closely with the City of Los Angeles since 2001 on
developing job training programs. Los Angeles had already been the recipient of
a number of Brownfields Assessment and Cleanup grants from EPA, to address
former industrial sites within the Alameda Corridor and beyond. As a result of
these and other site restoration efforts, environmental employers on the city's
Brownfields Advisor}' Board indicated a growing need for certified environmental
technicians and the city suggested to LACC that it apply for an EPA Brownfields
Job Training grant. The LACC subsequently applied for and was selected as a
Brownfields Job Training grantee by EPA in October 2005 .
Challenges paced btj the
Job j raining j rogram
own
field
Job Training Program
Component Example:
0 Rigorous Application and
Admissions Process
The LACC Brownfields Job Training
Program offers an excellent example
of the value of a rigorous application
and admissions process. With a
recruiting area comprised mostly of
at-risk youth, it was essential that the
program impress upon its applicants
the need for professionalism and
dedication—while weeding out those
who did not appear ready. With
established job training practices
already in place, the program also
used highly effective job placement
strategies and partnerships with
local organizations to ensure its
success, as well as the placement of
its graduates.
Even with the high level of dedication of the vast majority of the LACC's
Brownfields Job trainees, old habits proved difficult for a few students to break —
resulting in some unexpected challenges for program managers. Though all students accepted in the program were initially
tested for illegal drugs, no additional tests were performed throughout the training, hi a few, rare instances, placed graduates
were shown to have illegal drugs in their systems when first tested by their new employers. "It burns bridges with local
employers," explains Alex Lopez, Senior Manager with LACC, "and we have to put out the resulting fires."
Another unforeseen challenge to the LACC
Brownfields Job Training Program is the
difficulty of tracking students after graduation.
"Once they graduate, we track them for a
year," says Lopez. "But once they're placed
on jobs they tend to stop following up with
us. Sometimes we have to keep track of our
graduates by calling local employers, and
listening to word-of-mouth."
Discipline as a f rerequisite
The LACC teamed with the North Orange
County Community College District to
develop a 240-hour, environmental curriculum
with instruction in HAZWOPER, lead and
asbestos abatement, forklift certification, and
student, in LOS Angeles, California in classroom trammg. other environmental cleanup technologies.
-------
LACC's Job Training Curriculum:
Unique Aspects
• Refinery Safety Overview
(RSO) Training
An important component of the
program, as many graduates are able
to quickly find jobs at local refineries.
• Forklift Operators Course
The course plan included additional job
and life-skills training, funded through
the LACC and local work source
centers.
To recruit students into their new
training program, the LACC held
orientation sessions. Explains Lopez,
"Most [applicants] have been under-
or unemployed their whole lives, so
the}''re enthusiastic at the idea of
getting a well-paid job/' A unique
feature of the training program is that
those who applied for the training are
given a quiz on their earlier orientation
to see who was paying attention. Lopez
explains, "We can assess who is really
enthusiastic about this type of career,
and who just wants 'a job.'"
The strict Brownfields Job Training
class ensures graduating trainees are
prepared. On average, one-fourth of
a typical Brownfields Job Training
class will not graduate. "They can get
dismissed for being a minute late,"
explains Lopez. "We try to make the
environment even stricter man what
they'll find in the workforce. We
want to make sure that we are well
represented with the employers that we
depend on to hire our graduates."
The LACC works with local partners
to enhance its training program. The
Brownfields Advisory Board places
graduates and obtains employer input
to improve the curriculum. Local
workforce centers help students
get to and from training. The city's
Department of Rehabilitation helps
students buy clothing and uniforms.
The LACC also works with local labor
unions that hire up to 60 percent of the
program's graduates. "Now, close to
half of our trainees get placed before
they even graduate," says Lopez.
eveo
pment
ro
gress
The LACC Brownfields Job Training
Program has conducted three trainings,
graduating a total of 61 students — 59
of whom have found environmental
jobs. According to Lopez, community
interest in the training has exploded.
"Unfortunately, we have to turn a lot
of people away. . . but when you get all
this positive feedback and people are
trying so hard to get in, you know that
the program is working."
The LACC has applied for and
received an additional grant from
EPA that will extend the program for
another two years, to 2009. "The future
holds nothing but great tilings," says
Lopez. "When people are on parole or
have a criminal background, they don't
have a lot of opportunities . . . it's nice
to see how happy the community is
[with the program]. And when you see
mat people are succeeding, it gives you
motivation to continue."
A Graduate's r\xperience
When Stanley Randall applied for
LACC's Brownfields Job Training
Program in 2006, he was approaching
40 and had recently been released
from prison. As a parolee, Randall
was looking to turn his life around,
and heard about the LACC program
through friends.
"There were people I knew in the
[Brownfields Job Training] program,
once they graduated they were
making as much as $1,300 a week,"
he explains. "One guy was making
$75 an hour. I thought it couldn't be
true, but other guys from the program
were making the same amounts. So I
applied, I got lucky, and got in."
"I liked the training, dressing up in the
HAZMAT suits, just doing the work,
period. The learning was interesting—
about abatement, about EPA and the
history, it was all fascinating to me.
There was a lot you have to learn,
you're constantly learning every day...
if you're not serious about the training,
it's not going to happen for you. People
want tilings handed to them. They want
it for nothing, or feel society owes
them. But society doesn't owe them.
You owe it to yourself to do this.
"The first company they had me
interview with—I had that interview
before I even graduated—I'm still
with them... the longer you stay in
this field, the more people you meet,
the more resources you have, the
more opportunities you have. And
another door opens and you can take
it to another level. Right now I'm
a supervisor, and after two more
certifications I could be a consultant.
There are so many opportunities it's
almost overwhelming. It's just
wide open."
-------
Absentee 5nawnee Tribe, Oklahoma
Job Training Program
Component Example:
0 Placement
The first tribal Brownfields Job
Training grantee within the region,
the Absentee Shawnee Tribe
already had a Job Force Investment
Program that had long been helping
tribal residents find work. Using that
program as a foundation, the Tribe's
Brownfields Job Training Program
developed an innovative, unique
arrangement to ensure job placement
for trainees: the program allows
employees from local environmental
companies to participate in
training, with the understanding
that the employer will hire program
graduates. Through this agreement,
local employees expand their
qualifications while ensuring trainees'
future employment.
j ribal £>aclcgrouna
Located 40 miles east of Oklahoma City and approximately 102 miles southwest
of Tulsa, the Absentee Shawnee Tribe is one of 39 tribes within the State of
Oklahoma. Brownfields have long been a problem on Absentee Shawnee land,
particularly as the result of illegal dumping. The Tribe has identified more than 30
illegal dump sites, some of which are slated to be cleaned up with EPA assistance.
In 2004, the Tribe received a Brownfields Assessment grant from EPA to address
a 21-acre, former industrial site, the eventual redevelopment of which should
alleviate the community's high poverty and unemployment rates.
When the Brownfields Assessment grant was awarded, the Tribe already had a
Job Force Investment Program in place, providing job placement assistance and
educational courses for students looking to go to college. Using the Investment
Program as a foundation, the Tribe applied for an EPA Brownfields Job Training
grant, which was awarded in January 2006. The award represented the first such
grant to a tribe within EPA Region 6.
Challenges f^aced bij the /Absentee ^hawnee £>rownf ields
Job I raining j rogram
One of the challenges encountered by the program was the lack of accreditation
to certify trainees in asbestos abatement—an ability typically granted through
state government. As a sovereign nation, the Tribe is exempt from most state laws
and consequently the state's asbestos accreditation program. However, federal
accreditation was not available, so the Tribe was forced to work within the state's
program. After an impasse, the Tribe worked closely with staff from EPA Region 6, who acted as mediators in the process,
and the Tribe's asbestos accreditation was eventually awarded. The Tribe is one of only three entities and the only tribe
accredited with the state's asbestos program.
Another challenge that the Tribe faced was that there was no financial assistance for participants during the eight week
program. The Tribe's response to this challenge
was to allow participants to participate in
components of the program without enrolling
for the entire eight weeks, enabling trainees
to keep their existing jobs. To receive the
Remediation Worker certificate, participants
need to complete all components of the eight
week program but do not need to take them in
the same training period.
"["raining T~r'bal Members
The Tribe's Office of Environmental Protection
developed the Brownfields Job Training
curriculum in-house, based on the demand
for environmental professionals created by
the area's contaminated sites and the needs of
Students in the Absentee Shawnee Tribe Brownfields Job Training Program
learn decontamination techniques.
-------
Job
r a i n i n
Absentee's Job Training
Curriculum:
Unique Aspects
• Methamphetamine Lab
Awareness
Participants are taught to recognize
the combination of materials used to
produce methamphetamine, so that
they have the knowledge of the unique
hazards associated with clandestine
drug labs.
• Incident Command
Since many employers are emergency
responders, this component gives
graduates a good sense of the
management structure of the field.
local environmental companies.
The Investment Program formed
a partnership with East Central
University in the nearby City of
Ada, to allow trainees access to the
University's nationally accredited
Environmental Science Program.
They also partnered with the Gordon
Cooper Technical Center in the City of
Shawnee, forme Center's Industrial
Safety Program. "These partners
are fully involved and an essential
part of the project," explains Renee
Hood, Environmental Director of the
Absentee Shawnee Tribe.
The Tribe's job training program
involves eight weeks of classes,
from 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM every day.
Students get hands-on experience in
the field, conducting sampling and
other training at the 21-acre brownfield
targeted by the EPA Assessment grant.
In an innovative arrangement, local
environmental companies can send
employees to the program to participate
frog
in training, with an agreement that the
employer will hire program graduates.
This allows existing employees to
gain new skills while ensuring future
placement of program trainees.
As part of the curriculum, students
train on active cleanup sites. Because
the Tribe is a sovereign entity and owns
these sites, the students leani on and
operate equipment mat is being used in
various cleanup efforts. Another of the
program's unique features is training
on methamphetamine lab awareness.
This training session was developed
at the University of Alabama at
Birmingham, to prepare students
for work in cleaning up abandoned,
makeshift labs.
Job "{"raining j rogram
Progress
The Tribe's Brownfields Job Training
Program, now planning for its fourth
training cycle, produces skilled
graduates who are highly sought after
by local employers. With more than
30 graduates, the program has a near
76 percent placement rate—with
companies waiting for students to
complete training. One of the graduates
of the first round of training is now an
asbestos abatement instructor with the
program. Additionally, the Tribe itself
has hired program graduates to work
in the Tribal Office of Environmental
Protection. Some graduates are
collaborating to start their own
company—a Native American,
environmental contracting firm.
"Tribal members like doing
environmental work because they
feel they are giving back something,"
explains Renee Hood. "We had
students who were doing whatever it
OKLAHOMA
took to make ends meet prior to the
training, working multiple jobs; but
now they are making $850 a week
after taxes. Through this program, we
want to do whatever we can to make
people's lives better and give them an
advantage."
j\ (jraduate's Experience
Prior to the Brownfields Job Training
Program. Absentee Shawnee Tribal
member Roddy Camp already had
experience as an Asbestos Abatement
Technician and heavy equipment
operator. However, the availability of
work had been sporadic, and he hoped
mat the Tribe's new training program
would help him get a Contractor/
Supervisor's license. Roddy found the
training both valuable and enjoyable.
"I really liked the Confined Space and
HAZWOPER training components,"
he explains. "They were fun, and both
had a good, hands-on approach."
After graduation, Roddy planned
to return to the company where
he had worked before—but the
Absentee Shawnee Tribe had other
ideas, offering Roddy the position of
Asbestos Trainer for the Brownfields
Job Training Program. Roddy is now
the remediation technician for the
Asbestos division for the Absentee
Office of Environmental Protection,
and coordinates all asbestos abatement
projects on tribal lands. "The program
helped me out a lot," he elaborates. "I
have three children, and the program
allowed me to purchase a home and
become more financially stable."
-------
\ uture
the Brownfields Program moves into the future, the demand for qualified environmental technicians continues to
grow across the country. Through its invaluable partnerships, graduate placement efforts, and fluid curricula mat evolve to
fit job market demands, the Brownfields Job Training Program will continue to change lives and meet critical community
needs. Residents of brownfields-affected communities now have opportunities mat, prior to the program, weren't
available. Local environmental firms can select from graduates with first-rate training in asbestos and oilier hazardous
materials abatement. And communities are building a workforce of environmental technicians that will help transform the
brownfields that have negatively affected them for so long.
If you are interested in developing a job training program in your community, contact the appropriate regional coordinator
listed on the following page.
Students in the Absentee Shawnee Tribe Brownfields Job Training Program participating in on-site training
-------
ELlA Regional Job Draining (Coordinators
EPA Brownfields Job Training
National Program Lead:
Joseph Bruss
(202) 566-2772
bruss.joseph@epa.gov
Coordinators by Region:
EPA Region 1
Marcus Holmes
(617)918-1630
holmes.marcus@epa.gov
EPA Region 2
Schem'ne Mitchell
(212) 637-3282
mitchell.schenine@epa.gov
EPA Region 3
JeffBamett
(215)814-3246
barnett.j eff@epa.gov
EPA Region 4
Kathleen Curry
(404) 562-8660
curry.kathleen@epa.gov
EPA Region 5
Linda Morgan
(312)886-4747
morgan.linda@epa.gov
EPA Region 6
Amber Perry
(214)665-3172
perry.amber@epa.gov
EPA Region 7
Ina Square
(913)551-7357
square .ina@epa.gov
EPA Region 8
Bernadette Gonzalez
(303)312-6072
gonzalez.bemadette@epa.gov
EPA Region 9
Noemi Emeric
(213)244-1821
emeric.noemi@epa.gov
Wallace Woo
(415) 972-3270
woo.wallace@epa.gov
EPA Region 10
Deborah Burgess
(360)753-9079
burgess.deborah@epa.gov
For more information on EPA's
Brownfields Job Training Program, please visit:
http://www. epa.gov/swerosps/bfjob. htm
For additional knowledge and tools on job development
and training in brownfields communities,
please visit HMTRI's Brownfields Toolbox at:
http'J/brownfields-toolbox. org
For more information on NIEHS's Brownfields
Minority Worker Training Program, please visit:
http://www. niehs. nih.gov
-------
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Improving Land and Lives: 10 Years of Investment
in EPA's Brownfields Job Training Program
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA-560-R-08-001
March 2008
www. epa. gov/brownfields/
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