Job Training How Best To

Connect The Dots

Patrick A. Barnes, P.G.

President BFA Environmental

Founder Limitless Vistas Inc.

October 2012

Introduction to BFA Environmental • Founded in 1994

• Largest African-American owned, Florida based water and wastewater, environmental, hydrogeological and survey services firm

• Working with Environmental Justice communities since 1995 on issues related to site remediation, redevelopment and job training.

Introduction to BFA Environmental

Headquartered in Orlando, FL with satellite offices in:

West Palm Beach, FL, New Orleans, LA, and Rutherfordton, NC

Introduction to BFA Environmental • Some of our clients

– US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), New Orleans

– Navy Southern Division (NAVFAC)

– South Florida Water Management District

– St. Johns Water Management District

– Orange County, Florida

– Calcasieu Parish, LA

– City of Orlando

– Miami-Dade County

– City of Wildwood

– City of Altamonte Springs

– City of Longwood

– Warren County, NC

Introduction to LVI

• Conceived in 1997 and founded in 2006 to help BFA better serve minority communities

• Limitless Vistas, Inc. (LVI) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization co-located with BFA

• LVI is devoted to creating environmental related job opportunities for disconnected and at-risk young adults.

Introduction to LVI • LVI’s Premise :

“The greatest opportunity coincides with the greatest need.”

• The infrastructure repair and environmental restoration needs are greatest in poor communities

• The most effected individuals should have a real opportunity to participate in the rebuilding of their own communities.

• Real opportunity means a job!

• LVI is currently training under it’s 3 consecutive EPA Job Training Grant.

1. Premise

2. Current Training Model

3. Enhancing the Model

4. Environmental Job Needs

5. BFA-LVI Job Training Approach

6. Business Sense

7. Summary Statement

Presentation

Premise

PREMISE

• The need for environmentally educated and trained individuals will continue to increase in the the coming decades.

• Presently the largest unemployment, and greatest opportunity, exists in inner-city areas. Throughout the Country the aging infrastructure of our inner cities are in desperate need of rehabilitation.

• The existing EPA Job training template can be enhanced to address these great opportunities.

• The current political focus on job creation also gives us a true window of opportunity.

• The private sector can enhance business growth opportunities by by establishing or supporting training programs.

Emerging Opportunities Youth and Job Training

Current Training Model

Brownfields Job Training Program – History/Background (continued…)

• January 1995: EPA announces the first Brownfields Pilots.

• 1996: EPA signs a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Labor, focusing on job training and employment opportunities related to the Brownfields Program for local youths and adults.

• 1998: The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences establishes a Brownfields Minority Worker Training Program in collaboration with selected EPA Brownfields Pilot grantees.

• 1998 (cont…): EPA awards its first 11 Brownfields Job Training Pilots to entities including cities, community colleges, universities, and non-profits.

• June 1999: The Brownfields Job Training Program produces its first 100 graduates.

• September 1999: 100 graduates of EPA-funded Job Training Programs have been placed in environmental jobs.

• June 2001: The number of Brownfields Job Training Program graduates reaches 1,000.

• January 2002: President Bush signs the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act into law. Known as the “Brownfields Law,” this legislation amended CERCLA to specifically authorize federal financial assistance for brownfields revitalization, including grants for assessment, cleanup, and job training.

– CERCLA now had language specifically authorizing Job Training Grants under EPA’s Brownfields Program—authorizing EPA to provide grants for training to facilitate site assessment, remediation of brownfields sites, or site preparation.

• 2003: EPA Awards $2 million for Brownfields Job Training Grants in ten communities across seven states—its first Brownfields Job Training grants under the new Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act of 2002.

• To date, EPA has funded 191 job training grants totaling over $42 million.

• As of February 2012, more than 10,300 participants have completed training and more than 7,200 have obtained employment in the environmental field, with an average starting hourly wage of $14.12.

Brownfields Job Training Program – History/Background (continued…)

• In 2010-2011, EPA’s Brownfields Program lead an effort to more closely collaborate on workforce development and job training with other programs within EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER), and across the agency, including offices such as:

– 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);

– Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP;

– Office of Wastewater Management (OWM), and

– Office of Emergency Management (OEM)

Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grants– Overview

• The goal was to develop a job training cooperative agreement opportunity that includes expanded training in other environmental media outside the traditional scope of Brownfields hazardous waste.

• As a result of these discussions, the Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grants Program, (EWDJT) formerly known as the “Brownfields Job Training Grants Program,” now allows applicants to propose additional hazardous and solid waste, waste water, and chemical safety training.

• The EWDJT also supports OSWER’s Community Engagement Initiative

Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grants– Overview (cont.)

Enhancing the Model

Economic Justice will help lead to Environmental Justice • Link outreach and job training/Workforce Development to: - Environmental stewardship, - Service, conservation and - Credentials - Obtaining contracts • Engage Industry and partners on the front-end and

throughout the training process. • Establish contracting language that ties Job Corps and

training programs to EPA grants, loan programs and RFPs (SBA/DoD Mentor / Protégé programs can be used as a guide for promoting partnerships).

Enhancing the Current Model

• Involve the community and particularly youth early in work activities that emphasize development of job skills. Don’t perform a community improvement projects without the active participation of the local residents.

• Establish entry level work activities (i.e., data collection)

related to environmental , infrastructure or construction projects that can be used to engage and peak the interest of locally disconnected youth.

• Inform them of how what they have learned, can be leveraged

for sustainable employment.

Enhancing the Current Model

Enhancing the Current Model

BFA

• Link and contrast the assessment and characterization skills learned in the inner city setting to that needed in more natural ecosystems.

• Tailor job training language in RFPs and solicitations to

promote location specific employment. • Further broadened job training to include any ecosystem

restoration, site assessment, cleanup/remediation, environmental sustainability-green job.

• Link the health of the community to the health of the

environment in Brownfield areas.

Environmental Job Needs

20

Green Jobs in Florida

Green Jobs in Florida

22

Green Jobs in Florida

Remediation and other Waste Management Services Industries

Occupation 2010 Projected 2020 Employment change,

2010-2020

Title Code

Employment

(in

thousands)

Percent

of

Industry

Employment

(in

thousands)

Percent of

Industry

Number (in

thousands) Percent

Total, All Occupations 00-0000 119.7 100.00 152 100.00 32.3 27.0

Hazardous Materials Removal Workers 47-4041 23.7 19.80 30.3 19.90 6.5 27.4

Environmental Engineers 17-2081 1.5 1.30 1.9 1.30 0.4 27.4

Environmental Engineering Technicians 17-3025 1.3 1.10 1.7 1.10 0.4 27.4

Environmental Scientists and

Specialists, Including Health 19-2041 0.6 0.50 0.8 0.50 0.2 27.4

Environmental Science and Protection

Technicians, Including Health 19-4091 0.4 0.40 0.6 0.40 0.1 27.4

Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant

and System Operators 51-8031 0.4 0.40 0.6 0.40 0.1 27.4

In comparison, the average projected grow for all occupations in all industries from 2010 to 2020 is 14%

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics

Projected Growth US Labor Market

What is the RESTORE ACT? The Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act of 2012 (RESTORE Act) was signed into law on July 6, 2012 as part of the Transportation Reauthorization bill known as MAP-21, in response to the Deepwater Horizon (BP) Oil Spill. • The RESTORE Act would invest fines by BP and the other parties

responsible for the Gulf oil spill in the Gulf Region

• Without this bill these fines would go to unrelated federal spending, instead of repairing the area damaged by the spill

• The RESTORE Act would help rebuild and strengthen the environment and support America’s economic recovery

The RESTORE Act

What the RESTORE ACT would do? The RESTORE Act would : • Create the framework to manage and finance the

Gulf Coast recovery (new Section 311 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act)

• Establish the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund • Dedicate and allocate 80% of the Clean Water Act

penalties from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and additional appropriations provided by the law to the Trust Funds

The RESTORE Act

Allocation of funds

26

The RESTORE Act

The funds would be allocated to restore, protect, and make sustainable use of the natural resources, ecosystems, fisheries, marine habitats, coastal wetlands, and economy of the Gulf Coast

Allocation of funds

• 35% directly to the states equally divided among all 5 states for: environmental restoration, natural resource damage mitigation, fisheries monitoring, workforce development and job creation, improvements to state parks, infrastructure projects, coastal flood protection, planning assistance, tourism promotion, recreational fishing, and seafood promotion.

• 30% to the states based on a formula to develop a state plan of restoration. The formula for each state is 40% based on proportionate number of shoreline

that experienced oiling, 40% based on inverse proportion of the average distance from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, and 20% based on average population of the coastal counties within each Gulf Coast State.

• 30% to the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council made up of 6 federal members and 5 state representatives appointed by the governor, that will create a comprehensive plan to restore and protect the ecosystems, wetlands, and natural resources of the Gulf Coast region.

• 5% for the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Science, Observation, Monitoring, and Technology Program

to provide grants for marine research, ecosystem monitoring, data collection, and other Gulf research activities

The RESTORE Act

Estimated Funds • No funds are available yet.

• In January begins the civil litigation against BP in New Orleans

• Estimated funds: $5 billion to $21 billion depending on results of litigation.

• The five Gulf states could stand to collect anywhere from $4 billion to roughly $17 billion

• Out of the 65% of funds allocated to the Gulf states at least $1.2 billions could be assigned to Florida.

The RESTORE Act

Business and Job Opportunities

• The RESTORE act could create 60,000 new jobs for Louisiana and the rest of the Gulf Coast states in 10 years, and almost 80,000 jobs within 50 years.

• 57,000 new jobs would be created if the Gulf region is given the resources to spend $15 billion over the next 10 years.

• Louisiana alone with over 6,000 miles of coastline has 109 planned projects totaling 50 billion dollars.

BFA

Related Job Needs

• These new jobs will create a high demand for :

– Environmental and hydrologic data collectors and processors

– Environmental assessment/remediation technicians

– Field technicians

– Construction trade workers

– Engineers and scientists specialized in Water Resources, Ocean and Wetland Sciences, Environment and Biology

– GIS technicians and developers

– Water and wastewater treatment plant operators

– Specialists in Social Studies (social workers, anthropologists, archeologists, economists, etc.)

BFA-LVI Job Training Approach

Students and Staff Cycle 4

Curriculum and Program Elements 1. Ethics in Work Place 2. Job Readiness skills 3. Service Learning and Citizenship 4. Environmental Engineering, and Sciences 5. Federal, State and Local Environmental Rules and Regulations 6. Climate Change and Coastal Restoration 7. Water and Wastewater Operations 8. FEMA Emergency Response & Debris Removal Quality Assurance 9. Environmental Site Assessments and Site Characterization 10. Environmental Field Equipment/ Use of Computers 11. Mapping and GIS 12. Energy Conservation/Home Weatherization 13. Working in Teams, Practical Exams and Team Projects 14. On the Job Training 15. Job Placement Over 300 Trained Since 2006 in 10-12 week cycles

Credentials Received: •Industry Certifications:

• - 10 and 30 Hour OSHA Construction Safety

• - 40 Hour Hazardous Waste Operations

• - 32 Hours Asbestos Worker

- 16 Hour Mold Remediation

• - Energy Efficiency Associates

• Opportunity To Take Water/Wastewater Certification Exam

• -Building Performance Institute

•Other Credentials

• Earned GED (If Needed)

• Earned $1,250 AmeriCorps scholarship by performing community service

40 Hour Hazardous Waste Operations

Home Weatherization Program

Performing a blower door test

Hot Water Heater

Insulation

Weatherization Program

Students installing a radiant barrier in a home to keep the attic cooler decreasing the workload on the cooling unit.

Planning for The Day

Students Taught About Monitoring Well Design

Asbestos Awareness Class

Sampling Team

Sampling Teamwork

Sample Collection

Students Collect Samples at Orlando Former NTC

Students Learn To Use Insitu Probe and Hydro-Lab For Field Data Acquisition

Community Condition Survey

Environmental Site Assessments

Wetland Conservation Corps America’s Wetland Conservation Corps (AWWC)

•Develops restoration projects designed to engage communities in wetland conservation activities.

•Coordinate hands-on restoration projects including vegetative planting, restorative interventions and community-wide cleanups for volunteers.

Greenhouse view of project.

Students sorting through

wetland samples.

Biodiesel Project

Operation REACH’s Gulfsouth Youth Biodiesel

•Growing renewable energy through the collection of used cooking oil and conversion into biodiesel fuel.

•Trained in business, community leadership, environmental sciences, chemistry, mechanics and engineering through hands-on participation in biodiesel production.

LVI students are learning the

various steps of the process

of converting cooking oil to

biodiesel oil.

Students observe a

sketch of the

biodiesel process.

NORD

New Orleans Recreation Department

•Restore 16 NORD playgrounds at an accelerated pace

•Playgrounds opened earlier than planned

•Taught landscaping techniques

•Volunteered as Special Olympics Coaches

Students raking the

baseline on baseball/

softball field.

Students clearing a

path at the park.

Audubon Nature Institute

Audubon Nature Institute

•Diversity of wildlife;

•Preserve native Louisiana habitats;

•Educate diverse audience about the natural world;

•Enhance the care and survival of wildlife through research and conservation; and

•Provide opportunities for recreation in natural settings.

Lois Nembhard, Acting Deputy

Director Americorps State and

National Programs visit with

students at the Audubon Nature

Institute.

Students painting one

of the facilities at the

zoo.

Project Sprout

•Transform blighted properties into nodes of community redevelopment.

•Planting of bio-energy gardens that include plants such as:

- Sunflowers,

- Sprout remediate soil,

- Yields a crop for bio-fuel production,

- Provides green-collar job training

Students observing newly planted

crop.

Students digging to clear area for

planting

.

Before planting of the garden.

After planting of the garden.

Project Sprout (cont.)

Planters Grove Central City, New Orleans Renowned landscape architect Ken Smith designed the natural, green park at 2047 Felicity Street with strong input from the community. Part urban revitalization, part art, the Planters Grove is inspired with New Orleans influences found in locally-sourced reclaimed materials and native and local plants and flowers.

Nearly 50 youth from Limitless Vistas, other non-profits and community groups donated their time and efforts to build the Planters Grove from the ground up.

Community Service

Students participate in community service learning projects

Water and Wastewater Training

Students receiving on the job training at the City of New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board facilities

Orientation

Composite soil sample

LVI former student hired by Leaf Environmental Performs composite sample collection at Garden on Marais Brownfield Site

Occupation/Job Title Civil, Environmental, Water Res., Water/Wastewater,

Hydraulic, Geotechnical, Soil, Chemical, Mechanical

and Utilities Engineers

Water/Wastewater Operator Class 3, 4 *

Water Quality/Reclamation/Resources Specialists,

Environ. Scientist and Specialists, Hydrologists, Soil and

Water Conservationists, Wetland Specialists,

Oceanographers, and Soil Scientists

Environmental Restoration/Water Resources Planners

Cartographer and Photogrammetrist Surveyor,

Geologists, Geographers, Geoscientists, GIS Specialists

II, and Geospatial Information Scientist and

Technologists

Chemists, Biologists, Microbiologist, Zoologist and

Wildlife Biologist

Senior GIS Analyst, Developer or Programmer, GIS

Software Engineer, IT-GIS /Web GIS Applications

Developer, Geodatabase Analyst

Bachelors and Graduate Degrees Civil, Environmental, Chemical and Mechanical

Engineering

Hydrology, Environmental Science, and Oceanography

and Coastal Environmental Science

Cartography and GIS, Land Survey, Geography, Geology,

Earth Science

Chemistry, Biology, Zoology, Physical, Natural and

related sciences

Computer Information Systems, Science and Engineering

Associate Degree Civil, Environmental, Chemical, and

Mechanical Engineering Technology

Environmental Science, Earth Science

Chemical and Biology Technology,

Laboratory Science

GIS Technology, Cartography, Land

Surveying

Computer Information Science and

Technology

Occupation/Job Title Civil, Environmental, Chemical, and

Mechanical Engineering Technicians

Water/Wastewater Operator Class 2*

Environmental Field and

Environmental Science and Protection

Technicians

GIS Technician II, GIS Specialist I,

GIS/Geospatial Analysts, GIS Mapping

Technicians and Surveying and

Mapping Technicians

Chemical, Biological and Laboratory

Technicians

Computer Information Technicians and

Computer Support Specialists

Instruction / Training /

Certification Water/Wastewater Treatment

Plant and System Operator

Environmental Data

Collection and Processing

GIS Assistant

Occupation/Job Title Engineering Aide

Water/Wastewater Treatment

Plant and System Operator

Class 1

Environmental Field/Sample

Test Technicians,

Environmental Data Collector

Geological Sample Test

Technician

GIS Intern, GIS Field

Technician, GIS Technician I

High School Diploma

Certification*

Certification

*

LVI career paths

The broken arrows show paths to entry

level/ low skill occupations

Occupations filled by degreed

workers are shown in bold and

italic font

LVI OCCUPATIONS CAREER PATHWAYS

Business Sense

Business Model Thesis

• Every business that has a need to hire entry-level employees should be actively engaged in providing job training to at-risk or marginalized populations.

• Such training should be supported by the idle time of key salaried employees.

• Government should support such training efforts with incentives in contract solicitations. This proposition has no conceivable downside.

Oxfam Business Model Pilot Test • BFA and LVI are currently working with Oxfam America to develop

a scalable model for training at-risk young adults for careers in the broader environmental industry

• The pilot will be implemented early next year using students from LVI’s EPA Environmental Workforce Training Grant

• In partnership with CPRA select Louisiana coastal restoration projects will be used for on the job training

• The employment needs of companies with existing contracts will be identified upfront. Those companies will also aid with curriculum development

• The pilot will be scalable by an order of magnitude within 6 months of completion

• A convening will be held with stakeholders early during the summer of 2013 to convey the results

Summary Statement

Expanded engagement of disconnected and often at-risk young adults through enhanced environmental awareness and job skills training using the new and improved EPA Environmental Workforce Development Job Training model, has absolutely no downside.

It is good for our community, the economy, industry, our youth, our planet.

Summary

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson Awards Limitless Vistas a Job Training Grant. LVI is recognized as a model for green job training

Graduation

Extra slides

67

Establishes Gulf Coast Centers of Excellence for Ecosystem Restoration Science, Monitoring and Technology 1. The Legislation would establish a “Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Science,

Monitoring and Technology Program” within the national Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

2. The Administrator would be authorized to provide grants to establish one center of excellence in each of the five Gulf Coast States

3. In awarding grants to support the centers, the Secretary would consider applications from non governmental entities and consortiums in the Gulf Coast region, including public and private institutions for higher education

4. The centers would focus their curriculum on science, technology, and monitoring in disciplines that include: • Coastal wetland restoration and protection • Coastal and marine fisheries, ecosystem research, monitoring, mapping,

and recovery • Offshore energy development, including research and technology to

improve the safety in • exploration and development of oil and gas resources. • Sustainable economic and commercial development • Port, harbor, and waterway construction and maintenance.

The RESTORE Act