Brownfields 2013 Job Training Grant Fact Sheet ™ Southern University at Shreveport, LA EPA Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grant Program In 2010, the Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (OBLR) led an effort to more closely collaborate with other programs within EPA on workforce development and job training. Program offices now participating in the expanded initiative include 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), Office of Wastewater Management (OWM), Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), and the Office of Emergency Management (OEM). This initiative was created to develop a job training cooperative agreement opportunity that includes expanded training in other environmental media outside the traditional scope of brownfields hazardous waste remediation. As a result of this effort, the Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grants Program now allows applicants to deliver other training in the environmental field, in addition to the core traditional brownfields hazardous waste and petroleum training historically provided. 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 underemployed 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. Since 1998, EPA has funded 206 job training grants totaling over $45 million through the Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grants Program. As of March 2013, approximately 11,473 individuals have completed training, of which approximately 8,198 have obtained employment in the environmental field with an average starting hourly wage of $14.12. This equates to a cumulative placement rate of approximately 71% since the program was created. Job Training Grant $200,000 EPA has selected Southern University at Shreveport for an Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training grant. Southern University at Shreveport plans to train 60 students, place 55 graduates in environmental jobs, and track graduates for one year. The core training program includes 116 hours of instruction in 40-hour HAZWOPER, asbestos supervisor, and OSHA industry safety. Participants also will be required to take an environmental literacy course and participate in a 40-hour environmental cleanup community service project in the Martin Luther King Neighborhood. A total of four state and federal certifications will be offered. Southern University at Shreveport is targeting ex-offenders, veterans, high school dropouts who can qualify through pre-testing, and unemployed and underemployed residents living in Shreveport's at-risk neighborhoods. Key partners include the local Workforce Investment Board Career Solutions Center, Goodwill Industries, the City of Shreveport, the State of Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, the MLK Neighborhood Association, and several local employers, nonprofits, and faith-based organizations. 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 6 Brownfields Team (214)665-3172 EPA Region 6 Brownfields Web site (http://www.epa.gov/region6/6sf /brownfields/index.html) Grant Recipient: Southern University at Shreveport,LA United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, DC 20450 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA560-F-13-199 June 2013 ------- 318-670-9571 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) EPA560-F-13-199 June 2013 ------- |