Enviro-Net

News Update

Workplace alliance seeks partnerships with environmental industry firms

Staff report

The Sustainable Workplace Alliance, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing a safer workplace for the U.S. workforce, was recently awarded a five-year worker training grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
The institute features the Environmental Career Worker Training Program in which students in underserved communities are provided environmental-related training and job placement services within Florida and Puerto Rico.
Students receive 138 hours of job training and seven nationally recognized certifications including an OSHA 10-hour certification in construction, OSHA site disaster certification, HAZWOPER 40-hour, CPR/first aid and certified lead, asbestos and mold worker training—all at no cost to students.
Currently, SWA has an overall job placement rate of 67 percent and an average pay rate of $16 per hour. The job placement rate is expected to increase as recent graduates continue to actively apply for jobs from potential employers.
SWA recently hosted a training class in Melbourne that started in early August.
The training provides an opportunity to assist individuals in historically underserved communities, noted David Casavant, executive director of the Sustainable Workplace Alliance. 
This year, the program celebrated 25 years of preparing disadvantaged, underserved people for jobs involving environmental cleanup, construction, hazardous waste removal and emergency response.
To date, 13,000 workers in over 25 states benefited from the program, with a historical job placement rate of 70 percent.
SWA is seeking partnerships with interested employers to assist with job placements efforts now and in the future. For more information, contact Krystal Hepburn at (321) 608-0338 or email krystal@sustainablewp.org.