>>EPA Superfund Job Training:
Washington Navy Yard Case Study Report Update
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Introduction
Created in 1996, the Superfund Job Training
Initiative (SuperJTI) program provides job training
opportunities for people living in neighborhoods
detrimentally impacted by Superfund sites. As of
January 2004, the Washington Navy Yard SuperJTI
project has provided more than 475 Washington,
D.C., metropolitan area residents a chance to learn
and apply their hazardous waste training skills in
jobs across the metro-wide area. With an over 70
percent job placement rate, the program is a proven
success. The following stakeholders were
interviewed for an update of this project:
• RPM, EPA Region 3;
• CIC, EPA Region 3;
• Alice Hamilton Occupational Health Center
(AHOHC), NIEHS training provider and the
Institute for Workplace Safety and Health;
• STRIVE DC;
• Covenant House Washington, community-based
organization;
• EnviroControls, contractor/employer;
• Asbestos Workers Local Union #24, local union
representing workers in the environmental
industry;
• Home Engineering., former contractor/employer;
and
• Two SuperJTI trainees.
Washington Navy Yard's Super JTI trainer with students.
Site Description
The Washington Navy Yard is the oldest continuously
operated Navy facility in the United States. It currently
occupies 71.5 acres in the southeastern portion of the
District. It is bordered by the Anacostia River to the
south, the Southeast Federal Center to the west, and
public housing to the north.
Since the 1800s, the Navy Yard was used for research
and industrial activity. But in 1995, the base was
designated as a Base Realignment and Closure
(BRAC) gaining facility, with Navy employees
moving into the facility from other military locations
that are being closed. In January 1997, the Navy
completed an environmental investigation of the
Navy Yard's facilities, under EPA oversight. During
this review, the Navy environmental section provided
recommendations on precautions that must be taken
to ensure that the buildings are safe for occupancy.
As a part of this effort, the incinerator area at the
Navy Yard had hazardous wastes removed during the
summer of 1998. The site was listed on the National
Priorities List (NPL) as a hazardous waste site in 1998.
EPA Region 3 issued a Resource Conservation
Recovery Act (RCRA) 7003 order, effective July 16,
1997. This order required the Navy to perform
certain removals as interim measures under
Superfund procedures, conduct further studies, and
clean up the site based on the results of the studies.
The RCRA order remained in effect until EPA and
the Department of the Navy signed a final Superfund
Interagency Agreement on June 30, 1999. The
agreement closed out the RCRA order and put EPA's
Superfund program in charge of regulating the
Washington Navy Yard site.
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How It All Got
Started
In 1995, a representative of Home Engineering, a
contractor of the Navy Yard, and the Navy Yard's
environmental and safety director wanted to make a
positive difference in the community through the
facility's cleanup and to address the environmental
justice concerns of Southeast Washington, D.C.,
citizens. There are 28,152 people living within a 1-
mile radius of the Navy Yard, with a primarily
African American and Caucasian makeup.l Their
resulting initiative was called "Bridges to
Friendship" incorporating the name of one of its
founding partners, Friendship House, a community-
based agency. The partnership would work through
the SuperJTI program and provide training,
employment and other direct benefits to the
community and its residents. The program would
also provide participating partners a way to deliver
their services, express their needs, access the
resources or other partners, and address community
issues together. President Al Gore and the White
House Community Empowerment Board recognized
Bridges to Friendship in July 1998 for its many
accompli shments.
The Bridges to Friendship partnership has greatly
evolved since it was formed in 1995. The Alice
Hamilton Occupational Health Center (AHOHC)
which provided training for the SuperJTI program
from its initial beginning till 2002 has since been
replaced by the Institute for Workplace Safety and
Health. Similar to the training provider turnover,
Friendship House, the community-based organization
that provided participants and soft skills training, was
replaced with STRIVE DC. Covenant House
Washington is still an active partner in the program.
'According to the District of Columbia Government Census Data 2003
Former EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman speaks
at Washington Navy Yard's Super JTI class.
Recruitment
The Institute for Workplace Safety and Health,
STRIVE DC and Covenant House Washington
continue to oversee the recruitment process. They
focus their recruitment efforts in the Southeast and
Southwest area of Washington, DC. Still not
needing to use mass media advertising, the three
partners place fliers in area churches, community
centers and other public gathering places. Recently,
they have included in their recruiting efforts the
Arlington and DC public school systems. Guidance
counselors mention the program to students who will
not be attending college. As the program has
progressed, word-of-mouth from past graduates has
increasingly led to more applicants.
Unlike the past, where recruitment drew few
interested persons, today the trainers typically have a
pool of 50 to 60 applicants. Of those applicants, the
trainers and community partners interview and select
approximately 25 trainees. One of the earlier
problems of the recruitment process was selecting
trainees who should have been screened out. Those
individuals "took up valuable space," said a training
provider. To fix this problem, the mandatory
orientation session now includes more "learning by
doing," such as dressing out in protective gear, and
less lecturing in a classroom. An applicant's
realization of what the job would require physically
and mentally helps some self-select out of the
program. This approach has proven more successful;
however, as one trainer put it, "there is not a 100
percent fool proof method to screen people out."
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In addition to changes in the early orientation part of
the program, the trainers now also require trainee
drug testing prior to beginning the program and at
graduation. The screenings are program-paid and if
a potential trainee fails on the first screening they are
given the chance to be re-screened by graduation.
Trainers will not recommended students who fail
their last drug screening to employers.
Training Process
AHOHC, which conducted the environmental part of
the training in the past, handed over the role to The
Institute for Workplace Safety and Health in 2003.
Since 1998 two full-time trainings have been conducted
each year, with the environmental training taught over
the first eight weeks and the soft skills training lasting
from 2 to 6 weeks depending on the provider.
About 7 percent of training participants are Latino
which created an opportunity to run one program in
Spanish. Many of the Latino students were recruited
from the unique partnership formed with the Arlington
County School System, located in Virginia.
Trainees are unpaid while they are in training but
they are given $25 per week to cover transportation
costs. Trainees are also provided free pre-
employment physicals which was a barrier to job
placement earlier in the program. In addition, the
training program added fitness tests, required by
many employers, at no cost to the trainee.
During the environmental portion of the training,
participants are trained in hazardous material clean-
up, asbestos and lead paint abatement, general
construction, industrial safety, first aid/CPR, control
of biochemical hazards in construction, and other
topics. A contractors forum, held in 2001, allowed
the program to hear what additional skills
contractors required from the trainees. This forum
uncovered a need for radiation safety training. Now
a staple of the program, radiation safety training has
increased job placements of graduates within the
hazardous waste hauling industry.
Following the environmental training is the "soft
skills" part of the training course, consisting of how
to prepare a resume, interview skills and addressing
workplace problems. More recently, personal
finance and diversity education have been added to
the program. STRIVE DC provides soft skills
training for trainees it had recruited while AHOHC
Hazardous Materials workers on-site.
and Covenant House Washington provides training
for the rest of the class.
The soft skills training curriculum is constantly
changing, depending on individual class needs. A
trainee provider said that this part of the training is
always a struggle since it is tough to assess what the
class needs, and topics covered are not always
relevant to 100 percent of the class.
Other skills addressed during the soft skills training
include math and reading for those students that
scored low in those areas on the assessment test
given during orientation. The math and reading
components of the soft skills training has
significantly increased since 1999. And for those
trainees who did not already possess a GED or
diploma, STRIVE DC offers a GED program.
On average, classes begin with approximately 25
students and graduate between 16-22 students. Many
of the students who drop out of the program due so
from outside pressures such as childcare, financial
concerns, etc.
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Job Placement Efforts
At the end of every training session, AHOHC/
Institute for Workplace Safety and Health and
STRIVE DC host several job fairs at the training
facility. Contractors with job openings and local
unions are invited to exhibit at the fair. Many
interviews and job placements occur during the fairs.
As of January 2004, the program has graduated
approximately 475 students, according to AHOHC.
The program has achieved a job placement rate of over
70 percent. Several graduates have continued their
environmental education by attending university or
advanced study in environmental clean-up technologies
while several other students have entered a local
asbestos union's apprenticeship program.
The program has excelled in job placement efforts.
Fortunately, the gloomy economy between 2000-
2003 has not affected the job market for hazardous
waste cleanups. Graduates of the program have been
involved with large national and area-wide cleanups.
Approximately 20 trainees have spent time
participating in the cleanup of the World Trade
Center site, the Pentagon site or the anthrax
decontamination projects in the New York and
Washington D.C. metropolitan areas. A few
graduates participated in the mercury spill
decontamination at a Washington, D.C.-area high
school in 2003. While most trainees are placed with
a variety of local companies, 38 of the graduates
have been placed at the Navy Yard Superfund site
with either the Public Works Center (a quasi-
governmental agency responsible for construction
and construction management at Naval District
Washington facilities) or with Navy contractors.
Other area contractors such as Envirocontrols and
Southern Insulation (a signatory contractor with the
Asbestos Workers Local Union #24) have hired many
of the graduates.
A trainer for the class specifically mentioned that
because of lack of funding for follow-up, it was
difficult to track graduates employment status.
According to the trainer, employment figures could
be much higher than accounted for, but it was
ultimately up to the graduate to inform him whether
they were employed or not.
One of the earlier problems affecting the Washington
Navy Yard SuperJTI program was a mismatch of jobs
with the number of trainees graduating at a particular
time. While this problem still exists to an extent, the
trainers have improved their communication with
employers about when work will be available and
have been able to schedule a program's graduation
date appropriately.
A trainee provider said the excellent job placement
rate is due to the broad range of training given.
Furthermore, he said, "Nothing substitutes for
caring trainers, appropriate funding, and contacts
within the community and nearby employers for a
successful program."
Partnering with EPA's
Brownfields Program
Building upon the success of the program the
Washington Navy Yard SuperJTI partnered with
EPA's Brownfields Job Training program to create an
advanced training program for SuperJTI graduates.
Most students entering this class are seeking upward
career mobility. Beginning in April 2004 with 17
students, training program topics include
HAZWOPER, Geographic Information Systems
(GIS), air sampling, hazardous communication,
confined space, brownfields and site assessment,
including training in the use of innovative assessment
and cleanup technologies.
All students must be sponsored by their current
employer for this training to be free. The program
expects to train 58 students, achieve an 80 percent
placement rate, and support career placement of
graduated students for two years after the training
is complete.
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Trainee Feedback
In 2001, an unemployed 25-year old male was
seeking a job, rinding no luck for a living-wage job
that didn't require a high school diploma. STRIVE
DC referred him to the program and he knew he
would have to act fast to apply since his 26th birthday
was approaching, which would make him ineligible.
His class was full of 24 other trainees, and while
some of his peers did drop out, he was motivated to
stay with the course because he knew it would lead to
a higher-paying job.
At the program's career fair, the trainee was asked to
work for two competing employers. He chose the
higher paying position, where his entry-level pay was
$14/hr. During his time at work, he and his
supervisor developed a strong friendship. When the
company's work ran out, his SuperJTI training
provider was able to connect him with a new job
within two months that paid an even higher wage.
Today, the graduate has returned to work for his
original employer as an asbestos inspector. "I really
like the program, the trainer, and the work I am
given," said the graduate. "I hope to get into a
management position someday."
Another recent graduate of the SuperJTI program
said he also heard of the program from STRIVE DC.
"I was currently going through their GED program,"
said the trainee, "and they urged me to participate in
the SuperJTI program."
He was immediately hired after graduation, working as
an asbestos mover in nearby Maryland. He said he was
so pleased with the program, that his cousin decided to
sign up as well. "I feel very lucky and blessed to have
been selected for this program," said the graduate. "This
was a great opportunity and best of all, it didn't cost me
a cent. I now have a $16/hour job."
Transportation to the training center or the workplace
was not a problem for both trainees. And, both said
the program had little to improve on. "Before [the
program] I had no idea what asbestos was and now,
I'm an asbestos mover," said the latter trainee. "This
program was extremely helpful towards moving up in
the world."
"Nothing substitutes for caring
trainers, appropriate funding, and
contacts within the community and
nearby employers for a successful
program."
—Training Provider
Employer Feedback
One of the earlier problems plaguing the program was
the graduates' lack of work ethic and consistent job
attendance. Home Engineering, an employer who used
to hire trainees, quit hiring graduates since many of the
trainees were not committed to their jobs. Home's HR
specialist felt the program needed other components to
address business skills and work ethics.
Perhaps a new leaf has turned for the program. An
employer for EnviroControls, Inc. has hired
approximately 25 graduates to date and continues to
hire more. The company has been pleased with the
quality of trainees and is satisfied with trainee's work
performance as well.
EnviroControls says it believes in the program's goal
and tries to support the graduates as much as
possible. To overcome job attendance problems,
EnviroControls bought a van to transport graduates to
and from their work sites. EnviroControls also
assigns new graduates to work beside experienced
colleagues to expose the graduates to as much on-the-
job training as possible. In return for hiring the
graduates, EnviroControls believes they "gain the
satisfaction of trying to help the disadvantaged within
their community by offering them a job."
EnviroControls hired approximately 20 graduates for
a mercury spill decontamination at a Washington,
D.C.-area high school in 2003. The high school
principal was pleased to see eleven of its graduates
working for EnviroControls at the cleanup.
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Summary of Successes/
Recommendations for Improvement
The Washington Navy Yard's Superfund Job Training
Program was largely met with praise from the
trainers, employers and students of the program. By
overcoming earlier problems plaguing the program
through flexibility and innovation in the classroom,
such as addressing employer dissatisfaction with
trainees' lack of work ethics and how to conduct
themselves appropriately in the business place, the
program has excelled beyond initial expectations.
Interviewed graduates said the program was
worthwhile. Students have gained high paying jobs
through their broad range of skills and workplace
experience. Both employers and trainees have
benefited from the free SuperJTI training. Most of
the trainees normally could not afford the requisite
and often expensive hazardous waste training
necessary to obtain jobs with upward mobility.
Employers have benefited from their relationship
with the trainers of the program by having instant
access to a readily trained workforce. Since the
original review of the program in December 2000,
the program has addressed and overcome many of the
earlier identified problems including:
• SuperJTI program coordinators need to find
additional avenues of employment for trainees
other than just the nearby Superfund site. To date,
the program trainer has successfully networked
with more metro-wide private contractors which is
where an overwhelmingly majority of the
graduates find their work. Trainers have also
been better about coordinating class graduation
with work availability.
• Several trainees were required to have pre-
employment physicals before an employer would
hire them. Trainees are now provided free pre-
employment physicals. Another addition to the
program is the provision of fitness tests, required
by many employers, at no cost to the trainee.
• SuperJTI participants need further instruction on
how to conduct themselves in a business
environment. Since 2000, the "soft skills " part of
training, has been significantly increased and now
consists of how to prepare a resume, interview
skills and how to handle workplace problems.
Personal finance and diversity education have also
been added to the program as have math and
reading refresher courses.
One recommendation for improvement identified by
the interviewees included the following:
The program should consider a full-time position for
a program coordinator to track and follow-up with
graduates for employment status and contact
information. One trainer mentioned that too often
an employer will call to request graduates for work
but the trainer will be unable to provide very many
graduates since he does not have recent contact
information or know if a graduate is actively
seeking work.
"I feel very lucky and blesssed to
have been selected for this program.
This was a great opportunity and best
of all, it didn't cost me a cent. I now
have a $16/hour job."
—Trainee
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Emergency and
Remedial Response
(5201G)
EPA 540-F-04-002
October 2004
www.epa.gov/superfund
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