WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) today congratulated the City of Durham, N.C. on its receipt of an Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training (EWDJT) program grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The $200,000 grant will be used to fund training programs that provide unemployed and under-employed, including veterans, minority, and predominately low income individuals, with the skills and certifications needed to enter careers in the environmental field. The funding also supports job placement and recruitment activities for green jobs.
“This grant has the double benefit of helping individuals overcome barriers to employment through receiving training in a new career field, while also working to protect the public health of our local communities and the environment,” said Butterfield. “It is essential that federal, state, and local governments continue to provide opportunities like these to develop a skilled workforce for the jobs of tomorrow. I thank EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy for awarding Durham this grant.”
The City of Durham is one of 18 grantees selected to receive a portion of the $3.6 million Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training program grant from the EPA. Graduates of the program develop a comprehensive set of skills to secure full-time, sustainable employment in many areas of the environmental field and average an hourly starting wage of $14.00. Graduates obtain employment in fields such as: recycling, brownfields assessment and cleanup, wastewater treatment, stormwater management, emergency response, oil spill cleanup, solar installation, and Superfund site remediation. Durham plans to use its grant to train 65 students, place 46 graduates in environmental jobs, and track the progress of graduates for at least one year.
Since the EWDJT program’s inception in 1998, the EPA has funded 239 job training grants totaling more than $50 million. Roughly 12,800 individuals have completed training, and of those, more than 9,100 have secured employment in the environmental field.
More information on environmental workforce development and job training grants can be found here.