Q \ 2012 Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grant Fact Sheet Camden, AR 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 the City of Camden for an environmental workforce development and job training grant. Camden plans to train 45 students, place at least 36 graduates in environmental jobs, and track graduates for at least one year. The proposed training program includes 418 hours of instruction in 40-hour HAZWOPER, OSHA 30-hour general industry, innovative and alternative treatment technologies, UST leak prevention, stormwater management, wastewater treatment technologies, asbestos worker, lead paint renovation and repair, solid waste management, material recovery and recycling, backflow prevention assembly tester, and DOT hazardous waste inspection. Participants will earn four state licenses and one federal certification. The city will recruit students through the Arkansas Workforce Center and will target low-income, minority, unemployed and underemployed residents of Camden, as well as veterans transitioning back into civilian life. Other key partners include Arkansas Environmental Training Academy, Southern Arkansas University Tech, and the Southwest Arkansas Workforce Investment Board. 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 6 Brownfields Team (214) 665-3172 EPA Region 6 Brownfields Web site (http://www.epa.gov/region6/6sf /brownfields/index.html) United States c Environmental anri Fmpflpn™ EPA 560-F-12-174 Protection Agency Response (5105T) June 2012 Washington, DC 20450 Kesponse (si us ) ------- approximately 70% for the program, and also includes accomplishments data recorded since the program was created in 1998. Cirant Recipient: City of Camden. A R (870)836-6436 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 c Environmental anri Fmpflpn™ EPA 560-F-12-174 Protection Agency Response (5105T) June 2012 Washington, DC 20450 Kesponse (si us ) ------- |