Southeastern Wisconsin Organization receives EPA Grant to Train Environmental Workers for Jobs Created by Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funding

WASHINGTON – This week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the Great Lakes Community Conservation Corp, Inc. will receive a $200,000 grant to train environmental workers through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that Senator Baldwin voted for.

Great Lakes CCC serves the Greater Milwaukee region of Kenosha, Walworth, Racine, Milwaukee, Waukesha, Washington and Ozaukee counties.

“I voted for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law because it will create new, good-paying jobs in Wisconsin. Now, the Great Lakes Community Conservation Corp will have federal support from the Biden Administration that strengthens their community partnerships to train workers and put them into jobs that will boost our environmental workforce,” said Senator Baldwin.

Great Lakes CCC plans to train 100 students and place at least 64 in environmental jobs. Great Lakes CCC is targeting unemployed and underemployed students in the City of Racine, Wisconsin. Key partners include Terracon, LF Green Development LLC, Racine Vocational Ministry, First Choice Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program, Lakeside Curative Services, Racine Health Department, Gateway Technical College, Racine County Workforce Solutions, The Sigma Group, Jacobs, the City of Racine Department of Public Works, and Racine County Economic Development Corporation.

EPA announced the selection of 19 organizations to receive a total of $3,797,102 in grants for job training programs across the country. Job training and workforce development are an important part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to advance economic opportunities and deliver environmental justice to underserved communities to build a better America.

Funded through the Agency’s Brownfields Job Training Program, these grants provide funding to organizations that are working to create a skilled workforce in communities where assessment, cleanup, and preparation of brownfield sites for reuse activities are taking place. Individuals completing a job training program funded by EPA often overcome a variety of barriers to employment. Many of these individuals are from historically underserved neighborhoods and reside in the areas affected by environmental justice issues.

Rather than filling local jobs with contractors from distant cities, these organizations provide training and offer residents of communities historically affected by environmental pollution, economic disinvestment, and brownfields an opportunity to gain the skills and certifications needed to secure local environmental work in their communities. Individuals typically graduate with a variety of certifications that improve their marketability and help ensure that employment opportunities are not just temporary contractual work, but long-term careers. This includes certifications in:

• Lead and asbestos abatement,
• Hazardous waste operations and emergency response,
• Mold remediation,
• Environmental sampling and analysis, and
• Other environmental health and safety training.

Since this program began in 1998, the Brownfields Job Training Program has awarded more than 352 grants. More than 19,456 individuals have completed training, and of those, more than 14,560 individuals have been placed in full-time employment in careers related to remediation and environmental health and safety.

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