SEPA
www.epa.gov
MAKING A IN THE COMMUNITY:
The Superfund Job Training Initiative in Silver Valley, Idaho
11—
INTRODUCTION
The Coeur d'Alene Basin Superfund Job Training Initiative
(SuperJTI) is an environmental remediation job readiness program
that provided career development opportunities for 20 trainees
living near the Coeur d'Alene Basin Superfund site. Through a
partnership between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) and North Idaho College, North Wind Construction Services
and TerraGraphics Environmental Engineering, Coeur d'Alene
Basin SuperJTI provided local job-seekers with new skills and
work experience linked to the cleanup of the Coeur d'Alene Basin
site. EPA's goal is to help the community create job opportunities
and partnerships that remain in place for the long term.
CANDIDATE OUTREACH, RECRUITMENT
AND SCREENING: APRIL - MAY 2012
~l
Lower Bas|n'Portion..^ Upper Basin Portion
ofpL)3 ts^jAVB- ofOU3
Coeur d'Alene Basin Superfund Site
Coeur d'Alene Basin SuperJTI staff and the project's community liaison did outreach, sent out flyers and hosted orientation sessions to
publicize the job training program and attract interested candidates. Area community-based organizations and two local newspapers, The
Spokesman Review and The Shoshone News Press, also advertised the program. During April and May 2012, over 100 people came to the
program's four orientation sessions. Following these sessions, 86 people completed a preliminary testing stage; 45 of those participants
were invited to attend program tryouts. Thirty-nine participants decided to continue with the program tryouts.
Program tryouts included leadership, team building and role-playing activities, a basic physical fitness evaluation, and observation by a
team of evaluators from the project's partners. Seventeen trainees completed the training.
SITE HISTORY
The Coeur d'Alene Basin Superfund site (also known as the Bunker Hill Mining and Metallurgical Complex site) is located in Northern
Idaho's Coeur d'Alene River Basin. EPA placed the site on the Superfund program's National Priorities
List in 1983. The Coeur d'Alene Basin is one of the largest areas of historic mining in the world.
Since the late 1880s, mining activities in the Upper Coeur d'Alene Basin contributed an
estimated 100 million tons of mine waste to the river system. Many Basin communities
were built on mine wastes. Until as late as 1968, tailings were deposited directly into the
river. Over time, these wastes have spread throughout more than 160 miles of the Coeur
d'Alene and Spokane rivers, lakes and floodplains.
Contaminants from mining operations in the Silver Valley spread harmful levels of
heavy metals down the South Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River and into the floodplains.
A plan for cleaning up residential and recreational areas in the Basin was developed
in coordination with community members, federal, state, tribal and local governments,
and local organizations. Project goals include reducing heavy metals, improving fisheries,
reducing downstream migration of contaminated sediments, and providing safe feeding
habitat for waterfowl.
I U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
I Superfund Redevelopment Initiative
-------
WY
TRAINING: MAY 2012
The Coeur d'Alene Basin SuperJTI training took place over
two weeks and 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 the 40-hour
Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response
(HAZWOPER) training, flagging, sampling, and CPR and
first aid training. North Idaho College and Terragraphics
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 these communities.
Coeur d'Alene Basin 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.
THE COEUR D'ALENE BASIN SUPERJTI TRAINEES:
• Live in areas affected by the Coeur d'Alene
Basin Superfund site. Eighty-eight percent of
the trainees (15 people) live in communities
affected by the Superfund site. Twelve percent of
the trainees (2 people) live in areas surrounding
the site.
• Include younger and older populations. Six
trainees are age 25 or younger and 11 trainees are
age 26 or older.
JOB PLACEMENT AND FOLLOW-UP:
JUNE 2012 — NOVEMBER 2012
After graduation, trainees interviewed with area subcontractors,
including North Wind Construction, Ferguson Contracting
and McGillivray Environmental, for available site cleanup
positions. Twelve graduates were hired following completion of
the training for a variety of positions, including environmental
technicians, dump truck drivers and construction workers. Six
of these graduates are working on remediation projects in the
Silver Valley. Remaining graduates are interviewing with site
subcontractors, pending the award of new remediation contracts.
Graduation for the program's 17 trainees was held at Memorial
Hall in Kellogg, Idaho, in June 2012. SuperJTI's National Program
Manager Viola Cooper attended the ceremony and handed out
certificates to the graduates. The program also included remarks
from project partners as well as the graduates.
Coeur d'Alene Basin SuperJTI staff and the project's community
liaison followed up with the graduates and their supervisors
for six months after the graduates started work. During this
time, graduates could change positions but were encouraged to
remain employed, either with one of the site subcontractors or
another employer.
-------
SUPERJTI COMMUNITY PROFILES: Making a Difference
. family friend knew Jacob was looking for a career change and emailed
him a flyer about the SuperJTI program. "There were so many people at
tryouts, I thought there was no chance I'd make it," Jacob recalled. "I
was so excited to learn that I had been accepted."
Since graduating from the program, Jacob feels the training opened
doors for a new line of work and increased his career opportunities. He
was able to put his skills to work right away working locally for North
Wind Construction in Smelterville, Idaho, and as far away as Kodiak,
Alaska. Jacob plans to continue his education and pursue a career in
water resource management.
An advertisement in the paper caught David Villapando's attention. "I was looking
for work and I saw the words EPA, Superfund and free training," he said. "I ,
had been laid off, so I took the initiative to pick up the phone and call right ^B
away." After showing up for the competitive tryouts, David's enthusiasm
grew during the selection process. "There were a lot of people who showed
up who really wanted to work. We were presented with challenges and this
excited me more," he said. "I wanted to be one of those selected."
After completing the training, David felt a new drive and focus in his life.
"I received a well-rounded set of skills in water sampling, flagging, first
aid and working with hazardous waste," he said. David was excited to put
his new skills to work cleaning up yards for Ferguson Contracting, a local
employer. "The work was a great experience, physically challenging, and I
really enjoyed it," he said. David is now looking forward to learning additional
skills. He hopes to obtain a Commercial Drivers License in the near future.
/
Lonnie heard about the SuperJTI program through his local unemployment
office. "I had been laid off from my job as a mine operator. I had no
k previous experience in environmental remediation, but I was looking to
• learn new skills," he recalled.
I Lonnie found the training interesting and said the most valuable thing
| he learned was how to work better as a team member. Since graduating,
I Lonnie has worked for a local contractor, McGillivray Environmental,
cleaning up yards and performing demolitions. Looking back, he said,
"I would recommend this program for anyone who wants to move
forward with a new career."
-------
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
Printed on 100% recycled/ret
------- |