This Cooperative Agreement award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 9, under the Brownfields Job Training Cooperative Agreements program (CFDA 66.815), provides $494,000 in federal funding to the City of Pittsburg, California to recruit, train, and place unemployed and underemployed residents of Northeastern Contra Costa County in environmental careers.
The project will operate eight training cycles over five years, with each cycle training 20-22 participants. The key products and services to be delivered include HAZWOPER-40, refinery safety, forklift, flagger, and safety training, as well as certifications in emergency response, confined space entry, traffic control, OSHA-10, first aid, and CPR. The city will subaward funds to Open Opportunities, Inc. and the Laborers Training Trust to implement the assessments, trainings, reporting, participant support, and case management. The anticipated outcomes include training 160 participants, with 136 graduates, 102 placed in environmental positions, and 10 pursuing further education.