The Brownfields Job Training Program 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

(EPA) established the Brownfields Job Training 

Program to help ensure that the residents of 

communities most affected by brownfields 

would share in the benefits of their cleanup and 

reuse. The Job Training Program transforms 

lives by empowering unemployed and 

underemployed, predominantly low-income and 

minority residents of Brownfields communities. 

The Program does this by providing funding and 

technical assistance for environmental cleanup 

and health and safety training to organizations 

currently training residents of brownfieldsimpacted communities who are seeking new 

skills and greater earning potential. The Program helps clean up brownfields, spurs 

sustainable economic development, and creates a pool of skilled workers capable of 

meeting the environmental cleanup and green jobs industries’ demand for workers.

The first seeds of Brownfields Job Training—and of the Brownfields Program 

itself—emerged in the early 1990s, when EPA staff discovered that many 

communities affected by Superfund sites weren’t benefiting from the job 

opportunities related to site cleanup. At the time, cleanup-related jobs were 

being filled by professionals from other cities due to a lack 

of environmental training in the local workforce. EPA 

designed its Brownfields Job Training grants to help 

ensure that graduates would benefit from local job 

opportunities.

To date, EPA has provided 144 Brownfields Job Training 

grants totaling over $25 million. Of the more than 5,000 

who have completed EPA-funded training, more than 3,250 

obtained employment in the environmental field, earning an average starting 

hourly wage of $13.81. The graduates of these programs promote EPA’s goals of 

sustainable land reuse and environmental protection, not only through cleanup 

of site contamination and sustainable redevelopment of brownfields, but also 

by applying knowledge that reflects today’s environmental and smart growth 

opportunities. Skills gained through Brownfields Job Training programs include 

green remediation techniques, recycling of demolition materials, installation 

of solar panels and other renewable energy systems, and Leadership in Energy 

and Environmental Design (LEED) certification of new development. The 

overall benefits of the Program reach even farther, promoting EPA’s core goals of 

promoting partnerships and strengthening the marketplace. By seeking input from 

local stakeholders—including workforce development entities and representatives 

from private industry—these training programs strengthen community bonds and 

produce graduates that are attractive to local employers.

“The information you get 

from the [Job Training] program is going to 

help you in your life and in the job market.”

—Ronald Simmons, 

LACC Graduate

L.A. Conservation Corps 

Los Angeles, California

Within Los Angeles’ Alameda Corridor—

a densely populated, former industrial area 

with extreme poverty and unemployment 

rates—the L.A. Conservation Corps 

(LACC) has offered job training and work 

skills classes to area youth for the past 23 

years. Upon receipt of its first EPA grant 

in 2005, the LACC teamed with the local college district to develop a 240-hour 

environmental curriculum with instruction in Hazardous Waste Operations 

and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER), lead and asbestos abatement, forklift 

certification, and other environmental cleanup technologies. The course included 

additional job and life-skills training, funded through the LACC and local work 

source centers. The organization advertised these training opportunities and held 

orientation sessions for potential candidates. Alex Lopez, Senior Manager with 

LACC explains, “Most of these applicants have been under- or unemployed their 

whole lives, so they’re enthusiastic at the idea of getting a well-paid job.”

As the demands of the economy and the needs of the environmental market 

have evolved, so have LACC’s job training programs and related partnerships. 

The organization has teamed with Grid Alternatives, a non-profit organization 

specializing in renewable energy, to provide students with expert instruction in 

solar power array installation. LACC also collaborated with L.A. Trade Technical 

College to provide training in commercial/residential energy auditing and 

modern weatherization techniques.

One of LACC’s graduates, Ronald Simmons, recalls his training 

with LACC. “All of the training was good,” he explains, 

“especially learning the equipment; and HAZWOPER, which 

prepared me the most for what I’m doing now.” Simmons 

now works for TerraTherm, a company that uses an innovative, 

environmentally friendly cleanup technique called “In-Situ Thermal 

Desorption” in which heat is used to remove contaminants from soil.

With five training sessions now 

complete, the LACC has graduated 

more than 175 students from its 

Brownfields Job Training Program. 

Approximately 85% of graduates 

have found employment. The 

LACC collaborates with the city’s 

Brownfields Advisory Board, 

consults with local labor unions, 

and conducts job fairs to place 

students—often finding them work 

before they even graduate. Recent 

additions to the Brownfields 

Advisory Board include a local 

solar panel manufacturer that has expressed interest in LACC trainees. “For anyone 

looking into the Brownfields Job Training program, I would tell them you have to 

give it a try,” says Simmons. “The information you get from the program is going to 

help you in your life and in the job market.”

King County Work Training Program 

King County, Washington

Located in northwest Washington, King 

County is home to the City of Seattle, a 

population of over 1.8 million, and more 

than 700 identified brownfields. To 

expand on training already being provided 

on hazardous waste removal, King County 

applied for and was awarded its first EPA Job Training 

grant in 1999. Subsequent EPA grants have extended the King County Jobs Initiative 

(KCJI) until 2010. In addition to training, King County partners with community 

organizations and local companies to find employment opportunities for graduates. 

Program Manager Carolyn Bledsoe explains, “The strength of King County Jobs 

Initiative is its ability to engage and build upon the on-going collaborative work in the 

community. Having a job training program located in County government enables 

us to provide insight and leadership through a strategic approach that also helps 

employers gain access to our graduates that are trained and ready to go to work.”

The King County Work Training Program provides an advanced, 238-hour 

curriculum in topics such as HAZWOPER, soil vapor extraction, bioremediation, 

wastewater treatment, lead and asbestos abatement, and confined space. Graduates 

also receive Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and/or 

construction readiness certifications upon completion. So far the program has 

graduated over 260 students, of whom 183 have been placed in jobs with wages 

ranging from $12-$35 per hour. The program also pledges to keep graduates 

employed for at least one year, to ensure that they develop marketable experience.

Due to local word-of-mouth, program spots are in high demand. “Capacity is an issue,” 

explains Bledsoe. “No classes are larger than 12-13, but we may have 15-20 apply.” 

One of the program’s graduates, Danny Benavente, has been working for the same 

groundwater remediation 

company six years after his 

placement there. Benavente 

was so fond of the program 

that he referred his son 

to it. KCJI also provides 

all participants with four 

days of Job Readiness/

Life Skills training to help 

address and resolve barriers 

through comprehensive case 

management and retention 

services. Students learn asbestos remediation within a “decontamination 

station” as part of LACC’s Brownfields Job Training.

“[The program] helped 

out both me and my son. 

It gives people a chance at life.” —Danny Benavente, King County Graduate

A student participating in LACC’s Job Training class.

Students of the King County Work Training Program 

participate in HAZMAT training.

Job Training Highlights

•	 EPA has provided 144 total

brownfields job training grants

•	 Job Training Grants total more than

$25 million

•	 More than 5,000 participants have

completed EPA-funded training

•	 More than 3,250 graduates have

obtained employment with an

average starting hourly wage

of $13.81
For more information on EPA’s Brownfields 

Job Training Program, please visit: 

www.epa.gov/brownfields/job.htm

Improving Land and Lives

EPA’s 

Brownfields 

Job Training 

Program

JFYNetWorks 

Boston, Massachusetts

JFYNetWorks began its environmental job training program in 1995, with the 

goal of creating qualified environmental professionals to help meet environmental 

needs in the Boston area while providing quality jobs for un- or underemployed 

residents. Selected for an EPA Brownfields Job Training grant in 1998, JFY’s 

proven record has helped them to apply for and receive subsequent Job Training 

grants from EPA.

JFY provides three types of environmental job training: cleanup of the 

environment using appropriate technology; conversion, or switching to renewable 

energy sources; and conservation, including skills such as weatherization 

techniques to conserve energy. The agency recently developed a new conservation 

training in which students learn how to properly weatherize new buildings and 

retrofit old ones. A training in solar panel assembly and installation is about to be 

started in Lowell, with a green jobs grant from the state. These new “green” courses 

were designed to prepare job-seekers for the emerging green job market. “The 

Lowell area has many solar companies,” explains Gary Kaplan, JFY’s Executive 

Director, “so the job market for trained technicians is good. If people have the right 

skills, the jobs are there. We’ll make sure they have the right skills.”

One of the unique features of JFY’s 14-week training model is that in addition to 

technical skills and certifications, the program works on the communication and 

interpersonal skills that graduates will need to impress potential employers, and 

to work smoothly with co-workers. The program has an advisory board composed 

of representatives from local environmental services firms, including the solar 

companies who are involved in the training, educational institutions, community 

agencies and government officials. This group not only helps mold the curriculum 

to meet industry needs, it also conducts mock interviews with trainees to help 

them hone their job- getting skills. As explained by 2009 graduate Mark JeanBaptiste, “Aside from the technical certifications, the business communication and 

resume courses gave me the skills to stick out from the crowd when it comes to the 

job search.” 

To date, JFY has produced 330 graduates, with an 80% job placement rate. 

In some years this rate has been as high as 90%. The average entry-level job 

pays $27,000 per year. The proven track record of JFY’s former students keeps 

companies returning to JFY 

to recruit. Kaplan attributes 

much of the program’s 

success to the stability of the 

industry. “Unlike other fields, 

environmental remediation 

is not cyclical; there is always 

work,” says Kaplan. “Since 

these jobs cannot be offshored, 

there is a constant demand for 

workers, providing job security 

in this industry.”

 EPA-560-F-09-480

June 2009

www.epa.gov/brownfields

Solid Waste 

and Emergency

Response (5105T)

United States

Environmental Protection

Agency

Students performing job training at JFY NetWorks in Boston. Students participating in Tucson, Arizona’s Brownfields Job Training Program

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Or contact your EPA Regional Office: 

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(617) 918-1429

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(415) 972-3270

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(206) 553-6378

United States

Environmental Protection

Agency