U.S. EPA Brownfields Job Training Program
Northwest Regional Workforce Investment Board
Waterbury, CT
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Overview: The Northwest Regional Workforce Investment Board (NRWIB) is a nonprofit organization that provides
occupational services to unemployed, underemployed, and dislocated workers residing in northwestern Connecticut.
The NRWIB was a recipient of a 2009 U.S. EPA Brownfields Job Training Grant, which provided $200,000 for the
development and implementation of a job training program to help those seeking employment.
Core Curriculum
Asbestos Abatement Supervisor - Initial
Lead Abatement Supervisor - Initial
OSHA- 40 hour HAZWOPER
Deconstruction
OSHA- 10 hour Construction Safety Training:
o Power Hand Tool Safety, Fall Protection, Hazard
Communication, Lock Out/Tag Out, Personal Protective
Equipment, Scaffolding/Ladders, Confined Space,
Bloodborne Pathogens
EPA Lead Safety for Renovation, Repair and Painting
DOE Lead Safe Weatherization
Hazardous Materials Transportation (DOT)
Respiratory Protection
Hearing Conservation
Sampling Techniques
Above Ground and Underground Storage Tanks
Program Partners
Although the NRWIB job training program focuses
mainly on the City of Waterbury, the organization
strives to provide employment services for the forty-one
local municipalities in their service area. Typically, the
participants that have been involved in the program are
residents from Waterbury, Torrington, Danbury, and
areas in Naugatuck Valley. As of January 2011, there
have been 3 cycles of the job training program
completed at Naugatuck Valley Community College.
Each cycle was five weeks in length and had
approximately 20 individuals enrolled.
Participants: Qualified candidates are brought into the
program through the "construction funnel" approach in
which participants are initially screened and selected
based on specific criteria developed by NRWIB. The
candidates are then given tools for basic soft skills that
will help them to succeed well beyond the boundaries of
the program, including resume writing and interview
skills; this is done to ensure that the participants are
equipped with work readiness tools before the job
training begins. Once the participants are enrolled, the
class transitions from soft skills training into the core curriculum of the program. Participants are expected to
maintain a schedule of Monday through Friday, 8 am -5 pm, to fulfill the 200-hour course load.
Outcomes: The NRWIB job training program is designed to help
graduates complete the program and find local employment
opportunities. Currently, there is a 75% job placement rate for
NRWIB graduates. Examples of job training graduates that have
successfully completed the program and transitioned into a career in
the environmental field include:
• Nathan E. was a participant in the first cycle of job training in
2009. He graduated and received placement with Cabrera Services
as a Radiological Control Technician.
• Steve E. graduated from the first cycle of the program and
received placement as an Energy Auditor for Wesson Oil in
Waterbury, CT with a starting wage of $60,000.00/yr. photo provided by NRWIB.
• Kyle B. and Anthony H. graduated from the second cycle of job training and received placement in the Laborer's
Union - Local 611 (starting wage $14.75/hr).
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental
Management Geological Consultants, Inc., Naugatuck
Valley Community College, Waterbury Development
Corporation, and New Opportunities, Inc.
March 2011
Local Contact: Catherine Awwad, NRWIB* (203)574-6971 x426* Catherine.Awwad@nrwib.org
Region 1 EPA Contact: Kathy Castagna* (617) 918-1429* Castagna.Kathleen@epa.gov
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