\ 2012 Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grant Fact Sheet ***лл* Iowa Western Community College, I A 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 just brownfields cleanup. As a result of this effort, the Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grants Program, formerly known as the "Brownfields 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 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. To date, EPA has funded 191 job training grants totaling over $42 million through the former Brownfields Job Training Program and newly expanded Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Program. As of January 2012, approximately 10,275 individuals had completed training and approximately 7,155 obtained employment in the environmental field, with an average starting hourly wage of $14.12. This equates to a cumulative placement rate of Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grant $200,000 EPA has selected Iowa Western Community College (IWCC) for an environmental workforce development and job training grant. IWCC plans to train 100 students, place 80 graduates in jobs, and track graduates for one year. The core training program includes 152 hours of instruction in 40-hour HAZWOPER, lead and asbestos abatement, stormwater management, UST leak prevention, construction debris recycling, green remediation, and environmental health and safety. Participants also will be offered additional training in OSHA construction and mold contractor remediation. IWCC is targeting unemployed and underemployed individuals residing in Council Bluffs, IA, and Omaha, NE, with priority given to underrepresented minorities, women, and veterans. Key partners include Council Bluffs Workforce Development, Heartland Workforce Solutions, Eastern Nebraskan Community Action Program, the New lowans Center, and the Council Bluffs and Omaha One-Stop Career Centers. 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 7 Brownfields Team 913-551-7357 EPA Region 7 Brownfields Web site (http://www.epa.gov/region07/cl eanup/brownfields/index.htm) Grant Recipient: Iowa Western Community College 712-325-3448 United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, DC 20450 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA560-F-12-176 June 2012 ------- approximately 70% for the program, and also includes accomplishments data recorded since the program was created in 1998. 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-12-176 June 2012 ------- |