Brownfields Toolbox

Environmental, engineering, construction, and remediation firms work on brownfields sites and, therefore, may be interested in hiring graduates of Brownfields Job Development and Training programs. These types of firms should be asked to serve on advisory committees and offer their input regarding the types of training to include. When they provide input on training, they are more likely to hire graduates from the program. For a list of firms in your community, search the yellow pages of your area phone book and look under the following indexes:

• Engineers/Engineering
• Environmental Services and/or Remediation

You can also obtain information from the following environmental associations’ Web sites:

• Academy of Board Certified Environmental Professionals (http://www.abcep.org/)
• Academy of Certified Hazardous Materials Managers (http://www.achmm.org/news/news1.php)
• Air and Waste Management Association (http://www.awma.org/)
• Institute of Hazardous Materials Management (http://www.ihmm.org/)
• National Association of Environmental Professionals (http://www.naep.org/)

Community Development Corporations (CDCs) are a type of nonprofit organization formed by residents, small business owners, congregations, and other local stakeholders to revitalize low- and/or moderate-income communities. CDCs typically produce affordable housing and create jobs for community residents. The National Congress for Community Economic Development (NCCED) (http://www.ncced.org/) is the trade association for community development corporations and the Community Economic Development (CED) industry.

Laborers – AGC Education and Training Fund (http://www.laborers-agc.org/) is a joint labor-management training trust fund, formed by a partnership of the Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA) and the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), that provides comprehensive education and training programs to individuals and organizations within the LIUNA marketplace. Laborers – AGC have provided training programs to construction craft laborers working in highway and building construction, utility, and environmental remediation sectors of the industry. The Fund's comprehensive, standardized courses prepare apprentices to join the workforce with core skills and an understanding of how to be safe and productive from the start of their careers. Laborers – AGC and its 70 affiliated training funds support the training needs of several hundred thousand LIUNA members and thousands of construction-related contractors by providing core skills training, new skills, and new career paths for workers. Health and safety is an integral part of the program. Laborers – AGC and affiliates offer courses that combine simulated work site activities with classroom instruction and problem-solving skills to prepare workers for the demands of hazardous waste site cleanup jobs and other environmental remediation fields.

Goodwill Industries (http://www.goodwill.org/page/guest/about) is a network of 207 community-based, autonomous member organizations that serves people with workplace disadvantages and disabilities by providing job training and employment services, as well as job placement opportunities and post-employment support. For example, Goodwill Industries was one of the organizations that supported the training efforts of Western Iowa Tech Community College, which received an EPA Brownfields Job Development and Training grant in 2000.

United Way (http://www.liveunited.org) invests in and activates resources to make the greatest possible impact in communities across the United States. The United Way system includes approximately 1,400 community-based United Way organizations throughout the country. Each is independent, separately incorporated, and governed by local volunteers. Community partners often include schools, government policy makers, businesses, organized labor, financial institutions, neighborhood associations, community development corporations, and the faith community. Focus areas are identified at the local level and vary from community to community. Common focus areas include helping children and youth succeed, promoting self-sufficiency, building vital and safe neighborhoods, and supporting vulnerable and aging populations. For example, JFYNetWorks receives funding from United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Civic Works is partially funded by the United Way of Central Maryland.

The Abell Foundation (http://www.abell.org/) allocates grants to organizations that reach out to the disadvantaged in the Baltimore community and the region. In the past two decades, the Foundation has sharpened its focus to address complex challenges to break through the cycles of urban poverty. Civic Works applied for a planning grant through the Abell Foundation. The purpose of the planning grant is to help Civic Works partner with developers, land owners, and environmental companies working on brownfields sites in order to increase job placement of graduates at these sites.

Chesapeake Bay Trust (http://www.chesapeakebaytrust.org/) is a private, nonprofit grant-making organization created by the Maryland General Assembly in 1985 to promote public awareness and participation in the restoration and protection of the Chesapeake Bay and its Maryland tributaries. The Trust awarded three grants to Civic Works. The first grant awarded was $2,000 for transportation of students for field trips with hands-on exercises. The second grant was in the amount of $4,111 to pay for training, which was provided by private companies at a reduced rate. These companies conducted training in wetlands, stream restoration, plant identification, and ecology. The third award was $432 to purchase plants for a rain garden project that was implemented as part of the brownfields job training.

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