Brownfields Job Training and Development
Demonstration Pilot Fact Sheet

PILOT SNAPSHOT
Riverdale, Illinois	Date of Announcement: December 2000 Amount: $200,000
Profile:The Pilot will train 90 students as environmental technicians. Students will be recruited from the Village of Riverdale and surrounding communities, which are home to hundreds of brownfields and which are taking advantage of the excellent transportation infrastructure to stimulate brownfields redevelopment activities.

BACKGROUND

EPA has selected the Office of Applied Innovations, Chicago, for a Brownfields Job Training and Development Demonstration Pilot. The Office of Applied Innovations’ assessment pilot partner is the Village of Riverdale. Riverdale (population 14,000) is located just south of Chicago. More than three-quarters of Riverdale residents are minorities, primarily African Americans. The unemployment rate among Village residents is 20%.

The Job Training Pilot will focus on the Village of Riverdale, which is in the process of investigating and prioritizing more than 200 brownfields sites. Brownfields redevelopment and economic renewal activities are expected to create job opportunities in Riverdale and surrounding communities. The potential for redevelopment is strong due in large part to an excellent existing transportation infrastructure. Local environmental contractors have expressed interest in hiring local residents trained as environmental technicians to participate in new redevelopment opportunities.

TRAINING OBJECTIVES

The Office of Applied Innovations plans to train 90 students, achieve a 70% placement rate, and support career placement of graduates for one year after the training is completed. Students will be recruited from among residents of Riverdale and surrounding communities. The 480-hour Pilot training program will consist of HAZWOPER training, underground storage tank removal, lead and asbestos abatement, confined space entry, and training in the use of innovative assessment technologies, such as indirect heat volatilization/rotary kiln treatment, steam injection system, and thermal desorption.

The training efforts of the Office of Applied Innovations will be supported by organizations such as the Village of Riverdale, WPI-Virginia Polytechnic Institute, the Riverdale Community Resource Center, African American Contractors Association, Heritage Community Bank, and two private environmental consulting companies. A project advisory council will meet quarterly to provide technical assistance and evaluate all aspects of the program. A career week will be conducted at the end of the training program to enhance placement opportunities.

ACTIVITIES

Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:

• Conducting outreach to recruit residents of Riverdale and surrounding communities;
• Conducting training for entry-level positions as brownfields technicians, including courses in the use of innovative assessment and cleanup technologies; and
• Supporting career placement of students for one year after the job training is completed.

CONTACTS

The Office of Applied Innovations
(312) 362-6022

Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA - Region 5
(312) 353-2000

Visit the EPA Region 5 Brownfields web site at: http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields/

For further information, including specific grant contacts, additional grant information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site.