Brownfields 2014 Job Training Grant Fact Sheet North Star Center for Human Development, Hartford, CT EPA Brownfields Program In 2010, the EPA's Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (OBLR) led an effort to more closely collaborate with other programs within the Agency 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), 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 assessment and cleanup. As a result of this effort, the Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training program now allows applicants to deliver a broader array of training in the environmental field, in addition to the traditional brownfields hazardous waste and petroleum training historically provided. Through the expanded Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training program, graduates develop wider skill sets that improve their ability to secure full-time, sustainable employment in various aspects of hazardous and solid waste management and within the larger environmental field, including water quality improvement and chemical safety. This effort also gives communities more flexibility to provide different types of environmental training based on local employers' hiring needs. 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. To date, EPA has funded 237 job training grants totaling over $48 million through the former Brownfields Job Training program and Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training program. As of April 2014, approximately 12,800 individuals have completed training, and of those, approximately 9,100 have obtained employment in the environmental fielH with an average starting hniirlv waae Job Training Grant $200,000.00 EPA has selected the North Star Center for Human Development for an Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training grant. North Star Center plans to train 55 students, place 50 graduates in environmental jobs, and track graduates for up to two years. Each student will receive 250 hours of core training in 40-hr HAZWOPER; wastewater treatment operator; stormwater management and design; asbestos supervisor; lead abatement supervisor; OSHA 10-hour construction; health and safety; and lead renovation, repair, and painting. In addition, supplemental training will be offered in a number of course areas (depending on employer needs), including renewable energy, energy efficient building and design, water resources, and sustainable urban agriculture. Eight federal certifications will be earned by students completing the core curriculum. Including supplemental training, the program is designed to offer a total of 17 certificates and two state licenses. North Star Center is targeting unemployed and underemployed residents of Hartford, with a specific emphasis on recruiting residents of the city's historically disenfranchised north end communities. Key partners include the City of Hartford, Goodwin College, Judah House, Connecticut Department of Labor/CT Works One-Stop Centers, Hartford Communities that Care, Inc., Connecticut Office of Brownfield Remediation and Development, and a number of community-based organizations and environmental employers. 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). United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, DC 20450 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA 560-F-14-009 May 2014 ------- of $14.00. This equates to a cumulative placement rate of approximately 71% since the program was created in 1998. EPA Region 1 Brownfields Team 617-918-1429 EPA Region 1 Brownfields Web site (http://www.epa.gov/region01/br ownfields/) Grant Recipient: North Star Center for Human Development,CT 860-246-3526 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-14-009 May 2014 ------- |