News Releases from Region 01
EPA Workforce Grants Transform Lives and Land Across the Country
03/11/2021
BRIDGEPORT, CONN. – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has selected The WorkPlace, Inc., based in Bridgeport, Conn., for a $200,000 Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training (EWDJT) grant. This is one of 18 grant recipients selected to share $3.3 million to operate environmental job training programs for local citizens across the country.
This grant will be used by The WorkPlace to train up to 55 students near the City of Bridgeport in important skills needed to work in the environmental remediation field and to assist local economic development. This grant program advances environmental justice by providing an opportunity for residents historically impacted by brownfield sites to gain training and employment as a result of cleanup activities taking place in their communities.
"The professional training provided with this EPA grant will help dozens of Connecticut trainees to learn high-demand professional skills," said EPA New England Acting Regional Administrator Deborah Szaro. "EPA's job training grants provide funding for recruitment and training to organizations that are working to create a skilled workforce in communities where EPA brownfields assessment and cleanup activities are taking place. This investment will help prepare people for well-paying jobs in fields that reduce environmental contamination and provide more sustainable futures for the communities most affected by solid and hazardous waste contamination."
"With this grant from the EPA, The WorkPlace, Inc. will support significant opportunities for those seeking good paying jobs throughout the state. Members of the Bridgeport community will learn critical skills and receive the certifications necessary to access well-paying jobs that need to be filled right in their community. It is essential for our economic recovery, that we continue to support investments in workforce development and job training," said U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal.
"This EPA funding will go a long way in supporting The WorkPlace's mission to strengthen Connecticut's workforce and provide critical job training and education for workers in today's changing economy," said U.S. Senator Chris Murphy. "The training program funded by this grant will give workers the skills they need to secure local, good-paying jobs in the environmental field. Investing in workforce development while working toward a more sustainable future is a smart decision, especially during a pandemic that has left thousands in our state out of work."
"Congratulations to The WorkPlace on this $200,000 grant," said U.S. Representative Jim Himes. "Investing in our community by cleaning up contaminated brownfield sites in Southwest Connecticut boosts our economy. With infrastructure investments on the horizon, it's important to have a well-trained workforce to clean these sites and create a more sustainable future. I will keep working to secure federal dollars for our district to get Connecticut workers on the job with the training they need."
"This award supports innovative solutions to get people back to work with career opportunities in environmental development," said Joseph Carbone, President and CEO of The WorkPlace. "A future with employment gives hope to individuals to overcome barriers and become part of a skilled job force that can clean up contamination and foster a sustainable future for our community."
The WorkPlace, Inc. has previously been awarded EPA Brownfields Job Training grants six times from 2001 – 2014, and with this new grant will have received a cumulative total of over $1.4M. With this current grant award, The WorkPlace, Inc. plans to train 55 students and place over 75 percent of them in environmental jobs. The training program includes 222 hours of instruction, including: 40-hour HAZWOPER; OSHA 30-hour Construction Industry Outreach; C.T. Asbestos Supervisor; C.T. Lead Worker; Lead Safety RRP; Deconstruction; Aboveground/Aboveground Storage Tanks; Forklift Safety Awareness; and Mold Identification and Remediation.
Students who complete the training will earn up to two state and eight federal certifications. Key partners include the Connecticut Department of Labor, the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, Career Resources, Inc., Homes for the Brave, Groundwork Bridgeport, Council of Churches of Greater Bridgeport, T. Arduini Company, Down To Earth LLC, Primrose Construction Company, VASE Management, and Viking Construction, Inc.
EPA's Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training program helps put people to work by building a skilled workforce across the country. The program awards competitive grants to cities, nonprofit organizations and other eligible entities to recruit, train and place unemployed and underemployed individuals. Individuals completing the training have often overcome a variety of barriers to employment. Many are from low-income neighborhoods. The training programs also serve dislocated workers who have lost their jobs as a result of manufacturing plant closures or other circumstances.
Since 1998, when the EWDJT grant program started, more than 335 grants have been awarded. Over 18,500 individuals have completed training, and of those, more than 13,700 individuals have been placed in full-time employment earning an average starting wage of over $14 an hour. Rather than filling local jobs with contractors from distant cities, EPA created its environmental job training program to offer residents of communities historically affected by environmental pollution, economic disinvestment, and brownfields an opportunity to gain the skills and certifications needed to secure local environmental work in their communities.
A brownfield is a property for which the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. There are an estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated waste sites in America. When brownfields are addressed, nearby property values within a one-mile radius can increase 5 – 15.2 percent according to an independent study.
More information:
More information on EPA's various types of Brownfields grants: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/environmental-workforce-development-and-job-training-ewdjt-grants
EPA's work on brownfields in New England: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/brownfields-and-land-revitalization-connecticut-maine-massachusetts-new-hampshire-rhode
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March 11, 2021 at 11:59PM
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EPA Brownfields Job Training Grant Will Help Connecticut Communities in Greater Bridgeport Area - U.S. EPA.gov
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