www.epa.gov
MAKING A HIFIFSISBKIiS IN THE COMMUNITY:
The Superfund Job Training Initiative in Seattle, Washington
INTRODUCTION
The Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund Job Training Initiative (SuperJTI)
is an environmental remediation job readiness program that provided
career development opportunities for 14 trainees living near the Lower
Duwamish Waterway Superfund site. Through a partnership between the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Duwamish River Cleanup
Coalition/Technical Advisory Group (DRCC), South Seattle Community
College and site contractors, SuperJTI provided local job seekers with new
skills and job training linked to the cleanup of the Lower Duwamish Waterway
Superfund site. EPA's goal is to help communities create job opportunities and
partnerships that remain in place for the long term.
CANDIDATE OUTREACH, RECRUITMENT AND
SCREENING: MAY 2013
DRCC, the project's community partner, reached out to the community to
recruit interested candidates, distributing flyers, sending out emails, and
presenting at community meetings. Area organizations and local newspapers
also advertised the program. During May 2013, 56 people came to the
program's six orientation sessions. Following these sessions, more than 50
people completed a preliminary testing stage. Twenty-five people participated
in program try outs.
Program tryouts included leadership, team building and role-playing activities,
a physical fitness evaluation, and observation by a team of evaluators from the
project's partners. Fourteen of the 15 trainees selected during tryouts went on
to complete the program.
Duwamish/
Diagonal
Way
City of Seattle
Norfolk
Combined
Sewer
Overflow
The Lower Duwamish Waterway site stretches
about five miles south from Harbor Island. The
area around the site includes the South Park and
Georgetown neighborhoods.
SITE HISTORY
The Lower Duwamish Waterway site is a five-mile stretch of the Duwamish River that flows into Elliott Bay in Seattle, Washington.
Industrial corridors as well as the South Park and Georgetown neighborhoods flank the waterway. EPA placed the site on the
Superfund program's National Priorities List in 2001.
A century of heavy industrial use left the waterway contaminated with toxic chemicals from many sources - industries along its
banks, stormwater pipes, and runoff from upland activities, streets and roads. Pollution in river sediments includes polychlorinated
biphenyls, dioxins/furans, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and arsenic. Many of these chemicals stay in the environment for
a long time, and have built up to unsafe levels in resident fish and shellfish. Because of contamination, state and local health
departments warn against eating crab, shellfish or bottom-feeding fish from the Lower Duwamish River.
EPA and the Washington Department of Ecology are working to clean up contaminated sediment and control sources of additional
contamination in the waterway.
I U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
I Superfund Redevelopment Initiative
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10
WY
TRAINING: MAY 2013
The Lower Duwamish Waterway SuperJTI training program
took place over three weeks. It included:
Pre-Employment Training: Trainees completed courses in
environmental justice, interpersonal communication, cultural
competence and effective work habits. EPA contractor Skeo
Solutions provided the training.
Technical Training: Trainees completed 40-hour Hazardous
Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER)
training, OSHA-10-Hour Safety training, and CPR and first
aid training. Environmental Management Training and South
Seattle Community College provided the training.
Upon completion of the program, trainees possess the
marketable skills needed to begin a successful career in
environmental remediation and become valuable members of
the workforce in their communities.
Lower Duwamish Waterway SuperJTI is one of the many
SuperJTI projects nationwide that are making a difference
for unemployed and underemployed citizens living in
communities affected by Superfund sites.
Lower Duwamish Waterway SuperJTI Trainees:
Live in areas affected by the Lower Duwamish
Waterway Superfund site. Ten of the trainees (71
percent) live in the community affected by the
Superfund site. An additional two trainees (14
percent) live within five miles of the site.
Include male and female participants. Six (43 percent)
of the selected trainees are female. Eight (57 percent)
are male.
JOB PLACEMENT AND FOLLOW UP:
JUNE 2013 — DECEMBER 2013
Lower Duwamish Waterway SuperJTI participants at the
June 2013 program graduation ceremony in Seattle,
Washington.
After graduation, trainees interviewed with area subcontractors,
including AECOM, Anchor QEA, Envirocon, Inc. and IMCO
General Construction, for available cleanup positions. Several
trainees now work on site and in the metropolitan Seattle
area as sampling technicians, in union/trade positions, and in
manufacturing jobs. Remaining graduates interview with site
and other employers as positions become available.
Lower Duwamish Waterway SuperJTI staff and DRCC
followed up with the graduates for six months after the program
graduation. During this time, graduates could change positions
but were encouraged to remain employed, either with one of the
site subcontractors or another employer.
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SUPERJTI COMMUNITY PROFILES: Making a Difference
o
"50
Angielena Chamberlain lives in Seattle's Georgetown neighborhood, which borders
the site. When she first heard about the SuperJTI program, she knew she wanted
to be a part of it. "I felt that learning new skills and becoming more aware of
the environmental impact of industrial areas on local public health would be
empowering."
Angielena found the training expanded her understanding of environmental
contaminants, health and safety protocols, and the realities of environmental
inequality. "I found the life skills training the most beneficial because the
trainers helped us understand how to work with people from different
backgrounds in sometimes challenging job-site situations," she reflected. "It
also helped me think about my own skills and how I can best contribute and
te a valuable part of any team." Now seeking employment after graduation,
gielena sees herself differently. "I discovered that people see me as more of
• leader man I saw myself," she said. "That was eye opening."
Marianne Clark lives next to the Duwamish River and is passionate about its
cleanup and restoration. "I have lived here much of my life, and seen the .
pollution get worse," she said. "I want to see a clean river, so people can be A
down there fishing, walking on the sand, enjoying themselves. You can't do ^
that right now." When she heard about the SuperJTI program, she saw an
opportunity to get involved; following the program's rigorous screening
process, she was selected as one of the program's 14 trainees.
Marianne found the training informative and particularly enjoyed working
with the instructors and her fellow trainees. "I had been out of school a
long time," she noted, "but the teachers made me feel comfortable from the
start. It was exciting to come back each day." With cleanup planning for the
river ongoing, Marianne is optimistic for the future. "My goal is to contribute
my time and energy to make sure the river is healthy again," she said.
\
*
Trevor Crockett first heard about the SuperJTI program through social media.
A 10-year military veteran completing a bachelor's degree in environmental
science, Trevor saw the training as vital to the next stage of his career. "The
instructors were excellent and the hands-on parts of the training broke
things up nicely," he recalled. "The cultural diversity course in particular
was outstanding. I felt very positive at the end of the SuperJTI training."
Now pursuing employment opportunities and completing his education,
Trevor feels that the training "has added to my credentials."
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What is the SuperJTI Program?
The Superfund Job Training Initiative, or SuperJTI, supports job readiness programs in
communities affected by nearby Superfund sites and encourages the employment of
trainees at local site cleanups. The SuperJTI program combines extensive classroom
instruction with hands-on exercises for each participant. Upon completion of the
program, each participant possesses the marketable skills required to become a valuable
member of the community's workforce. EPA offers SuperJTI training at no cost to trainins
participants.
For more information, please visit: www.epa.gov/superfund/community/sfjti
Or contact SuperJTI's National Program Managers:
Melissa Friedland
EPA Regions 1-5
(703) 603-8864
friedland.melissa@epa.gov
Viola Cooper
EPA Regions 6-10
(415) 972-3243
cooper.viola@epa.gov
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation (5204P)
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20460
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