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Santa Fe Community College to receive $300,000 for EPA job training

Release Date: 07/20/2011
Contact Information: Dave Bary or Joe Hubbard at 214-665-2200 or [email protected]

(DALLAS – July 20, 2011) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently awarded a $300,000 Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grant to Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) to promote green jobs in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The project will target unemployed veterans and Native Americans and teach environmental job skills. The jobs will aid in the redevelopment of economically disadvantaged neighborhoods and revitalize Brownfields properties.

“The Brownfields Job Training Program provides a tremendous opportunity for people to learn the skills needed to secure fulltime employment in the environmental field,” said EPA Regional Administrator Al Armendariz. “Green job creation is important to our economy and we will continue to work with communities to further sustainable initiatives.”

SFCC plans to place recruits into environmental jobs after 180 hours of training in solid waste management, energy efficiency technologies and renewable energy preparation and installation. The organization will also offer training in hazardous waste operations and emergency response training and underground storage tank leak prevention, construction and demolition waste recycling and renewable energy technologies awareness.

SFCC will also work the Jaynes Corporation, New Mexico Veterans Administration, Eight Northern Indian Pueblos and local employers to facilitate job placement.

EPA’s Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Program helps train people for jobs in the assessment, cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields properties, including abandoned gas stations, old textile mills, closed smelters and other abandoned industrial and commercial properties. Brownfields often help investments target under-served and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods where environmental cleanups and new jobs are most needed.

Twenty-one governmental entities and non-profit organizations in twenty states are receiving up to $300,000 each to train individuals in the cleanup of contaminated sites and in health and safety, as well as other environmental skills such as recycling center operator training, green building design, energy efficiency, weatherization, solar installation, construction and demolition debris recycling, emergency response and native plant revegetation.

More about activities in EPA Region 6: https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/region6.html

EPA audio file is available at https://www.epa.gov/region6/6xa/podcast/jul2011.html