Brownfields 2011 Job Training Grant Fact Sheet ^ Southeast Neighborhood Development, Inc., Indianapolis, IN EPA Brownfields Program In 2010, the Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (OBLR) led an effort to more closely collaborate on workforce development and job training with other programs within EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER), including the Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery (ORCR), Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation (OSRTI), Office of Underground Storage Tanks (OUST), Federal Facilities Restoration and Reuse Office (FFRRO), Center for Program Analysis (CPA), Innovation, Partnerships, and Communication Office (IPCO), and the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) to develop a job training cooperative agreement opportunity that includes expanded training in other environmental media outside the traditional scope of just brownfields. As a result of these discussions, the "Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grants Program," formerly known as the "Brownfields Job Training Grants Program," was formed and now provides grantees the ability to deliver additional hazardous and solid waste training. By expanding the program, communities are provided the flexibility to deliver new types of environmental training based on local labor market demands. Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training grant funds are provided to nonprofit organizations and other eligible entities to recruit, train, and place predominantly low-income and minority, unemployed and under-employed residents from solid and hazardous waste-impacted communities. Residents learn the skills needed to secure full-time, sustainable employment in the environmental field, including a focus on assessment and cleanup activities. These grants help to create green jobs that reduce environmental contamination and promote sustainability in communities throughout the nation. EPA awarded its first Brownfields Job Training Grants in 1998. To date, more than 5,000 people have obtained environmental employment in the environmental field with an average starting hourly wage of $14.65. Community Description Job Training Grant $300000 EPA has selected Southeast Neighborhood Development, Inc. (SEND) for an environmental workforce development and job training grant. SEND plans to train a minimum of 45 students, place at least 33 graduates in environmental jobs, and track graduates for one year. The training program will consist of three six-week, 240-hour training cycles that will include coursework in HAZWOPER; OSHA construction outreach safety training; OSHA confined space entry; asbestos worker; lead abatement and clearance sampling; lead renovation, repair, and painting; underground storage tank leak awareness; sustainability/LEED awareness; solid waste management; environmental technology and sampling procedures; and green remediation technologies. The primary potential trainer is Southeast Community Services (SECS), which also will assist with recruitment, placement, and outreach efforts. Additional community partners include EmployIndy and KERAMIDA, Inc. Students will be recruited from underrepresented, unemployed, and underemployed residents of the Southeast and Martindale Brightwood Neighborhoods of Indianapolis. SEND will work with local environmental employers, SECS, and other community partners to place graduates in environmental jobs. Contacts For further information, including specific grant contacts, additional grant information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields Web site (http://www.epa.gov/brownfields). EPA Region 5 Brownfields Team (312)886-7576 EPA Region 5 Brownfields Web site (http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields) Grant Recipient: Southeast Neighborhood Development, Inc.,IN -7/inn —„ United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, DC 20450 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA 560-F-11-062 Jul 11 ------- Southeast Neighborhood Development, Inc., will target its job training activities in the Southeast and Martindale Brightwood Neighborhoods (combined population 39,374) of Indianapolis. The levels of poverty, unemployment, and dependence on public assistance in the target communities far exceed county and national averages. In the target neighborhoods, from 25.6 percent to 30.4 percent of residents live below the poverty level, and unemployment rates range from 12.8 percent to 19.2 percent. The percentage of households in these communities that receive public assistance is double the county and national averages. A recent survey identified 133 brownfields in the Southeast Neighborhood alone. Hazardous waste sites in the target neighborhoods range from small gas station sites to abandoned, multi-acre industrial facilities, many of which have sat vacant for decades. In a recent study, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development identified an increased need in the greater Indianapolis area for workers skilled in the brownfields redevelopment field, including a wide variety of technicians and hazardous materials workers. This study projected more than 200 annual job openings in the environmental field through 2018. Several local environmental firms have expressed a willingness to hire program graduates. I ) CAL The information presented in this fact sheet comes from the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. The cooperative agreement for the grant has not yet been negotiated. Therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, DC 20450 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA 560-F-11-062 Jul 11 ------- |