U.S. EPA Job Training Program
Groundwork Providence
Providence, RI
CHANGING PLACES
CHANGING LIVES
Overview: Groundwork Providence is an environmental and community development nonprofit serving northern
Rhode Island. Groundwork encourages local residents to make a difference in their communities by engaging
them in projects that improve the places where they live, work and play. More specifically, Groundwork seeks to
recruit and train chronically unemployed and underemployed
members of communities affected by environmental
contamination to help transform blight into clean, community-
friendly businesses, green space and affordable housing.
Core Curriculum
OSHA-40 hour HAZWOPER
OSHA-10 hour Construction Safety Training
First AID/CPR
Lead Supervisor/Contractor
Asbestos Supervisor/Contractor
Mold Remediation Worker
70-hour Contextualized Brownfield Remediation
Curriculum
20-hour Hands-on, Work-readiness Assessment
Project
Program Partners
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Rhode
Island Department of Environmental Management,
Community College of Rhode Island, City of
Providence, U.S. Department of Labor
Groundwork received a 2010 U.S. EPA Brownfields Job
Training Grant, which provided $200,000 to further the
development of an Adult Environmental Job Training
Program to help educate and train residents in need of
employment. The program was developed in partnership with
representatives from the environmental industry, community
groups, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental
Management, the Rhode Island Department of Health, and the
Community College of Rhode Island.
The job training program is comprised of four cycles, with 15
participants in each cycle, and has a core curriculum that is
designed to help graduates transition into a variety of careers in the environmental field. The program was
designed using the combined expertise and lessons learned from Groundwork Providence's past Adult Job
Training programs, best practices developed by local partners, and Job Training Providers across the country.
Although program efforts have been extended to all of the communities along the Blackstone River Corridor,
where centers for poverty and high concentrations of contaminated property are located, students enrolled in the
program are predominantly from Providence, Pawtucket, Central Falls, and Woonsocket.
Participants: Groundwork Providence recruits highly motivated
unemployed, underemployed, and dislocated workers from low-
income populations in the surrounding communities with an emphasis
on helping disadvantaged minorities, veterans and ex-offenders. In
order to fulfill the requirements for program eligibility, the applicant
must have at least a high school degree, be able to pass a drug test and
complete a 20 hour work-readiness evaluation project. The applicants
that are selected have a clear understanding of, and strong interest in,
careers in hazardous materials handling and clean-up before beginning
the program. Photo provided by Groundwork Providence.
Outcomes: Groundwork Providence began their Brownfield Remediation Job Training in 2002. In order to
increase the success of the program, Groundwork uses all partnerships and resources available to provide a One-
Stop Career Center for program graduates and employers. To date, over 120 training graduates have been placed
in jobs ranging from temporary crew positions on remediation projects to full-time, salaried positions with
remediation contractors. With the support of the EPA, Groundwork hopes to train sixty additional graduates for
careers in the environmental field while continuing to create and sustain healthy, green communities.
March 2011
Local Contact: Sheri Lupoli* (401) 351-6440* slupoli@groundworkprovidence.org
Region 1 EPA Contact: Kathy Castagna* (617) 918-1429* Castagna.Kathleen@epa.gov
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