SEFA EPA Region 9 Brownfields Program Success Stories *

RichmondBUILD • Richmond, CA

United States
Environmental Protection
Agency

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RichmondBUILDs Hope and Community through
Training and Sustainable Jobs

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Project Description

Organization: RichmondBUILD Green Careers
Academy

Project Manager: Nicholas Alexander
Project Partners

EPA, DOL, City of Richmond (Public Works Department,
Redevelopment Agency, Housing Authority), Building
Trades Council, The San Francisco Foundation, Chevron,
PG&E, Other Partners

Education-Specific Partners

Contra Costa College, Literacy for Every Adult (LEAP)
program

Area History

During World War Two, Richmond, California was a center
for heavy industry' and petrochemical production. Since
then many of the industries have shut down leaving behind
high unemployment and poverty rates. In addition, the
shuttering of industry and manufacturing in the area has left
Richmond with over 321 acres of brownfields. With vacant,
idle properties and high unemployment and poverty levels,
Richmond is also one of the most violent cities in California
with 1,176 violent crimes reported in the FBI Uniform Crime
Reports for 2010. RichmondBUILD was established in
2007 as a strategy for reducing violence in the community
while also helping its citizens gain knowledge and training
to reduce unemployment and environmental risks in their
community. In 2009, the organization received a $500,000
Job Training Brow nfields grant from EPA to train area
students in environmental jobs.

RichmondBUILD Facility Manager, Nicholas Alexander,
noted that the city has faced a "severe impact from the
economic recession and with an unemployment rate of
nearly 19 percent, the implementation of a Hazardous
Materials job training program through RichmondBUILD
Green Careers Academy could not have been more timely."
He further discussed that in this very competitive labor
market, RichmondBUILD has managed to train and place
over 100 people in employment, and the average hourly
salary of the graduates is $21.26—surpassing the original

Students and instructors foster postive releationships working
through classroom examples

"We have what we consider to be a world class training
program providing quality training for the individual
that positively impacts not only that individual, but also
their family and the community."

—Sal Vaca, Director of the Employment and Training
Department for the City of Richmond

Highlights

•	Graduation Rate: 94%

•	Employment Rate: 80% for entire program; 70% for
hazardous waste students

•	Average Hourly Rate: $21.26

•	Core curriculum: 40-hour Hazardous Waste Operations
and Emergency Response; 32-hour Calif. Dept. of
Public Health Lead Worker; 24-hour Asbestos Worker;
Carpenter's Pre-Apprenticeship (300 hrs)

•	Degrees or certificates: 40hr Hazwoper (OSHA); 32hr
Lead Worker (CDPH); 24hr Asbestos Worker (OSHA)

goal of $20.00 per hour. Mr. Alexander stated that ""|g|rccn
jobs involving the monitoring, transporting and cleanup of
hazardous materials have been and will hopefully continue
to be a tremendous source of opportunity in our community.
RichmondBUILD's strong partnership with EPA and the
Richmond Redevelopment Agency has made it all possible."


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Project Results

The program has a high graduation rate; over 130 students
have enrolled in the program since 2007 with 122 of those
graduating. The program has an 80 percent job placement
rate. The students can earn between $12—$36 per hour
working as hazardous waste removal workers, emergency
response team workers, construction laborers, crime scene
cleanup workers, and quality assurance/quality control (QA/
QC) technicians, among others. To qualify, prospective
students need to be Richmond residents, 18 years or older,
have a right to work status, and be able to pass basic
math, reading and fitness tests. RichmondBUILD takes a
multifaceted approach in assisting students in job placement
including: local hire ordinance, union partnerships, leveraging
related cleanup efforts/programs, staffing agencies, and direct
placement. There is a one year follow-up with students who
are placed in jobs. Students who have graduated the program
have worked on jobs as diverse as: helping clean up the oil
spill in the Gulf; removing hazardous materials from military
fleets which are to be retired and dry docked in the Bay Area;
and helping recycle electronics in California. Graduates have
also worked on multiple EPA Brownfields and Superfund
sites in California, including American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grant recipient Mira Flores and
the EPA Superfund site Naval Air Station Moffett Field.

In addition to job training, each student is assigned to a case
manager who helps the student with problems, issues or
challenges it may be facing relating to the course work or
life. Basic life skills are incorporated into every course the
student takes; this helps relate skills needed to succeed in life
to jobs and tasks to be performed. The Richmond community
has seen results from this training center and individuals who
would normally be under- or unemployed are able to find jobs
which offer higher than minimum wages. This program offers
community members an alternative that is changing people's
lives.

One such student is Keith Hardesty; who completed
the Solar Energy Efficiency Design and Installation,
Hazardous Waste Operation and Emergency Response
(HAZWOPER), Asbestos Worker, and Lead Worker Training.
Keith was homeless for three years and says "if not for
RichmondBUILD, I would not have had the motivation to
move forward." He said RichmondBUILD provided training
and paid all of his union fees and dues, all he had to do was
"walk to the Center to build up my career, which was a big
motivating factor." The training and support he received at

"Everyone at RichmondBUILD are professionals,
inspirations and absolutely 'good'for the Urban
Communities."

—Keith Hardesty, RichmondBUILD Student

RichmondBUILD provides stability in his life. He says the
staff is very encouraging; they have let him know he can
come back for additional training or any other support he
might need now or in the future. Keith is currently employed
as an Environmental Health Laborer and he would encourage
anyone who is going through a hard time or looking for work
to go through this program or one like it, saying: "the work I
am doing is environmental work, which is more frequent and
will not likely go away."

CALINC Training, LLC teaches several of the training
courses at RichmondBUILD and indicates that the
enthusiasm and dedication of the students who are part of
the RichmondBUILD Program provides their instructors the
opportunity to teach the Hazardous Materials classes with
great success. Students are engaged, highly productive and
anxious to learn all that the instructor has to teach and share.
Instructors at CALINC Training have a great feeling of pride
in contributing to the achievements of the students of the
RichmondBUILD Program. They stated that "[i]t has been an
honor for the instructors and administrative staff of CALINC
Training to work with the RichmondBUILD Program
knowing that each student is bettering themselves and going
on to better the community with in which they live."

For additional information, please contact:

Nicholas Alexander • Project Manager • RichmondWorks • nalexander@richmondworks.org

Students practice decontamination as part of HAZWOPER Training

Brownfields Region 9 Success Story
RichmondBUILD, Richmond, CA

May 2012
www.epa.gov/brownfields


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