United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, D.C. 20460 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5101) EPA 500-F-98-247 August 1998 v>EPA Brownfields Job Training and Development Demonstration Pilot Richmond Employment and Training Department, Richmond, CA 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 the Richmond Employment and Training Department for a Brownfields Job Train- ing and Development Demonstration Pilot. The Richmond Employment and Training Department will concentrate its workforce development efforts in the City of Richmond, California, which is a Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot. The Job Training Pilot will target welfare-to-work and other disadvantaged residents of neighborhoods surrounding the 900-acre North Richmond Shore- line. The target area encompasses the distressed Parchester Village, Southside, and Iron Triangle neighborhoods. The demise of shipbuilding and other heavy industry in Richmond has contributed to entrenched poverty and persistently high unem- ployment in these neighborhoods. The target area is characterized by a mixture of low-income residential communities and vacant or aging heavy industrial properties. The poverty rate is 38% in the target area and the unemployment rate is four times higher than the average rate of the San Francisco Bay area. Targeted residents are 67% African American, 16% Hispanic, and 6% Asian/ Pacific Islander. The efforts of Richmond to PILOT SNAPSHOT Richmond Employment and Training Department, Richmond, California Date of Announcement: August 1998 Amount: $200,000 Profile: The Pilot targets welfare-to-work and other disadvantaged residents of the distressed Parchester Village, Southside, and Iron Triangle neighborhoods, which are adjacent to the North Richmond Shoreline. Contacts: City of Richmond (510) 307-8019 Regional Brownfields Team U.S. EPA-Region 9 (415)744-1207 Visit the EPA Region 9 Brownfields web site at: http://www.epa.gov/region09/waste/brown/index.html 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/ ------- assess and clean up brownfields, along with high unemployment rates in targeted neighborhoods, indicate a need for environmental training. TRAINING OBJECTIVES The City of Richmond plans to train 45 students with the EPA grant, achieve a 70% placement rate, and track students for up to one year. Participants to be targeted will be welfare-to-work and other disadvantaged residents of neighborhoods sur- rounding the North Richmond Shoreline. The Pilot training will consist of a 13-week curriculum, including training in the use of innovative assess- ment and cleanup technologies. The training efforts of the City of Richmond will be supported by organizations such as the Richmond WORKS One Stop Career Center, Contra Costa Social Services Department, and Richmond Community Enrichment Initiative. ACTIVITIES Activities planned as part of this Pilot include: • Developing a curriculum for brownfields assessment and cleanup; • Conducting brownfields assessment and cleanup training, including courses in the use of innovative assessment and cleanup technologies; and • Conducting outreach to recruit welfare-to-work and other disadvantaged residents of neighborhoods surrounding the North Richmond Shoreline. 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 Richmond Employment and Training August 1998 Department, Richmond, California EPA 500-F-98-247 ------- |