Waste Site Cleanup & Reuse in New England
Jobs For Youth - Boston, Inc.
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This Brownfields success story was completed before the signing of the 2002 Brownfields Legislation. The Job Training Pilot Program is now called the Job Training Program and the Assessment Demonstration Pilot Program is now called the Assessment Grant Program. |
Success in Brownfields Environmental Job
Training Pilot Program
Lynn, MA / Somerville, MA
(June 20, 2001)
Contacts
Jobs For Youth - Boston, Inc.
Brownfields Environmental Job Training Program, Graduating class -cycle 1, 1999
In 1998, Jobs For Youth-Boston, Inc. (JFY) was awarded $200,000 to develop and implement a Brownfields Environmental Job Training Pilot Program. JFY is Boston's largest workforce development resource and one of it's oldest. Their mission is to provide low-skilled, low-income youth and adults with skills to become economically productive. The Program was implemented over two years. Two cycles of environmental training were offered each year on procedures for handling and removing hazardous substances. The training included sampling, analysis, and site remediation through the use of innovative technologies. JFY's program provided a comprehensive educational program in both technical expertise as well as professional and life skill development to residents living in communities impacted by brownfields.
JFY partnered with two Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot cities in Boston metropolitan area, Lynn and Somerville. Other stakeholders that helped make JFY's job training program so successful, were UMASS Lowell / The New England Consortium, UMASS Boston, and Suffolk University. These stakeholders worked with JFY to develop the curriculum as well as to provide educators and facilities for the Program.
Of 43 participants who completed the Brownfields Environmental Job Training program, 100% were employed upon graduation. The average starting wage for graduates was $26,311. Prior to entering the program, many participants were unemployed, underemployed, welfare-to-work, or otherwise disadvantaged. Upon completion of the program, participants are employed full-time and earning living wages with full benefits. Many participants will have opportunities through their employers for further education. Some graduates reported the desire and means to earn an Associates or Bachelors degree based on the skills and confidence gained through their experience with JFY.
| EPA Fact Sheet: | Brownfields Job Training and Developement Demonstration Pilot |