EPA Offering Free Job Training Opportunity in New Bedford
Training will provide job skills; Information sessions in October to learn more
BOSTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is offering free job training under the Agency's Superfund Job Training Initiative (SuperJTI) program for people in New Bedford and the surrounding area. Graduates will be able to fill available jobs with environmental contractors after learning technical skills, as well as basic health and safety for construction job sites.
This is the first time EPA has offered a SuperJTI Job Training Program within New England, and by choosing to do this in New Bedford reflects EPA's commitment to identifying and addressing needs for overburdened and underserved communities.
"EPA is pleased to respond to community requests by offering this job skills program to train New Bedford-area residents for well-paying environmental jobs. This is especially important in communities like New Bedford which have been overburdened with environmental contamination," said EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash. "This program will provide participants with multiple certifications at no charge and prepare them for careers in environmental cleanup work."
"I applaud the EPA for providing New Bedford-area residents the opportunity to learn and hone the skills needed to clean up our communities and combat the climate crisis," said U.S. Senator Edward Markey. "New Bedford families know too well the threat and harms of pollution and the reality of having a Superfund site in their backyard. As we work to secure the funding and resources needed to remediate environmental injustice, the EPA's new, free job training opportunity will be a boon to workers and the South Coast harbor economy."
SuperJTI is a national environmental remediation job readiness program that provides free training and employment opportunities for citizens living in communities affected by Superfund sites. SuperJTI provides unemployed and underemployed individuals with the technical skills and specialized training needed to work on a broad range of projects in environmental remediation and construction, as well as the cleanup of a Superfund site.
Graduates of SuperJTI programs earn certificates in:
- Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (40-hr HAZWOPER)
- 10-hour Occupational Safety and Health Administration Construction Outreach
- CPR/First Aid
- Job Readiness Skills
- Lead Worker
- Asbestos Abatement
- OSHA Construction Safety
- Flagging
People interested in this job training opportunity must attend one 60-minute informational session, offered at the following times at the New Bedford Public Library Main Branch 613 Pleasant St., New Bedford MA 02740 (accessible by NB1, near the SRTA Terminal/134 Elm St. stop).
- Thursday, October 5--10:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., or 4:30 p.m.
- Friday, October 6--10:00 a.m. or 1:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, October 11--10:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., or 4:30 p.m.
- Thursday, October 12--10:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., or 4:30 p.m.
"I'm very happy that EPA is bringing the first Super JTI training program in the Region to New Bedford. This is critically important as we need this free training so all residents can get the good training to get a good paying job right here in our harbor and neighborhoods, that the old and new businesses coming in and doing the work should make hiring our trained local workers a top priority," said John G (Buddy) Andrade from the Old Bedford Village Neighborhood Association. "We would want to thank Region 1 Administrator Dr. David Cash and his entire team; this is long time coming for many. I must mention those who advocated for this program tirelessly the late James Simmons and Edwin Rivera, Past Presidents Hands Across the River Coalition and the late Charles Carmo and Eddie Johnson Past President, Vice President Minority Action Committee and the late Gloria Williams Director of Youth Build New Bedford."
More Information:
Register and Learn more: https://NBH-job.eventbrite.com
General information on Superfund JTI: www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-job-training-initiative.