Deep South Center for Environmental Justice at Dillard University
 Worker Training Programs

Background

Over the past twelve years the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ) at Dillard University, in partnership with Clark Atlanta University’s (CAU) Environmental Justice Resource Center, the Laborers-AGC Education and Training Fund (L-AGC)), and the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), has implemented Minority Worker Training Programs in New Orleans, LA,  Atlanta, GA, Dallas, TX, and Baton Rouge, LA; and Brownfields Minority Worker Training Programs in New Orleans, LA, Atlanta, GA, Dallas, TX, Shreveport, LA, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and Miami, FL.  In this, the thirteenth year under NIEHS, programs will be run in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, LA, Savannah, GA and Detroit, MI. Supplemental training was also conducted in Houston, TX. In addition to the programs under NIEHS, the DSCEJ has conducted worker training programs in New Orleans under two-year grants with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Labor (DOL), and under a two-year contract with the US Corps of Engineers (USACE).

Job Opportunities

These worker training programs provide unique opportunities for developing community-university relationships. Through various contacts, grants, and cooperative agreements, DSCEJ and its partner institutions have trained over seven hundred individuals through the years under the cooperative agreements with NIEHS. Approximately, 70% of those trained are now employed, mostly in environmental remediation. Minority Worker Training Programs are now being conducted in New Orleans (Dillard University),  Baton Rouge (Southern University), Savannah, GA (Citizens for Environmental Justice ), and  Detroit, MI (Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice).

Program Participants

Program participants are recruited according to the criteria for each program. For the Minority Worker Training Program, participants must be 18 years of age and older. Each program has a specific targeted geographical area. In addition, participants must be drug free and able to read at an acceptable level. High school diplomas are not required, but GED’s are encouraged for those who have not completed high school. Participants are screened through testing and interviews.

Basic Skills

There is a six-week basic skills training that utilizes a work-based learning curriculum. Classes include study skills, mathematics, an introduction to hazardous materials, physical fitness, computer basics, life skills, and job readiness. There is also a counseling component that provides students with problem intervention and assistance, and information on a wide range of social services to aid them in achieving their educational and vocational goals. Also incorporated into the training are field trips to work sites and ropes training facilities to help promote team work.

Technical Training

The technical training is provided by DSCEJ’s training providers and other minority training entities. Technical training includes the following components:

• 40 hours—Construction
• 24 hours—Lead Abatement
• 32 hours—Asbestos Abatement
• 40 hours—Hazardous Waste Worker
• 24 hours—Mold Remediation

After completion of the technical training, participants are fully certified for each technical segment completed satisfactorily, and are provided with confined space certification, CPR training, first aid training, and OSHA workplace cards. The staff transitions the trainees to the world of work with placement and career development assistance. The staff continues to track the performance of participants, both recent and past graduates.

Please click HERE for some success stories from the DSCEJ's worker training programs.