^ Brownfields 2009 Job Training Grant Fact Sheet
The Workplace, Inc., Southwest Connecticut
EPA Brownfields Program
EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states.
communities, and other stakeholders to work together to
prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse
brownfields. A brownfield site is real property, the
expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be
complicated by the presence or potential presence of a
hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. On
January 11, 2002, President George W. Bush signed into
law the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields
Revitalization Act. Under the Brownfields Law, EPA
provides financial assistance to eligible applicants through
four competitive grant programs: assessment grants,
revolving loan fund grants, cleanup grants, and job
training grants. Additionally, funding support is provided
to state and tribal response programs through a separate
mechanism.
Community Description
The Workplace, Inc., was selected to receive a job
training grant. The Workplace Inc., Southwestern
Connecticut's Regional Workforce Investment Board, is a
nonprofit organization that provides employment and
training services for a 20-town region in Fairfield County.
The job training grant will target five of these towns.
Segments of these five towns (total population 171,320)
have high levels of unemployment, poverty, and crime. In
Norwalk, the largest of the five towns, over 75 percent of
family public housing units and the majority of the city's
industrial properties are located in three census tracts
targeted for recruiting participants. Recent assessments
have identified 26 brownfield sites within the target area.
These sites are often adjacent to blighted areas with
sub-standard housing and abandoned buildings. The
Workforce, Inc., has determined that environmental
technicians will be in demand within the target
communities and throughout the state. Initiatives passed
by the state legislature to assist stakeholders in cleanup
and redevelopment of brownfields will help expand
employment opportunities for environmental technicians.
Job Training Grant
$200,000
EPA has selected The Workplace, Inc., for a job
training grant. The Workplace, Inc., plans to train
60 students, place 48 in environmental jobs, and
track graduates for two years. The program will
consist of three training cycles of 340-350 hours
each. Graduates of the program will obtain
certifications in lead and asbestos abatement,
40-hour HAZWOPER, and environmental
technician. Trainees who go beyond the basic
course requirements may become certified in a
number of other environmental areas with a
potential for earning up to 13 college credits.
Primary trainers will be selected through a
competitive bidding process. Students will be
recruited primarily from among the residents of
the five towns targeted by this program. The
Workplace, Inc., will institute an environmental
jobs hotline, establish a job club, and work with
members of the advisory board who are in the
environmental sector to place program graduates.
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 1 Brownfields Team
(617)918-1424
EPA Region 1 Brownfields Web site
(http://www.epa.gov/regionl/bro wnfields)
Grant Recipient: The Workplace, Inc., Southwest
Connecticut
(203) 610-8538
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
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20450
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA 560-F-09-004
January 2009
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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-09-004
January 2009
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