The Minority Worker Training Program (MWTP) was established in September
1995 to provide a series of national pilot programs to test a range of
strategies for the recruitment and training of young persons. These are
individuals who live near hazardous waste sites or in the community at
risk of exposure to contaminated properties with the specific focus to
obtain work in the environmental field. This new pilot program represents
a broad geographic spread and reaches several urban populations in high-risk
contaminated areas.
These environmental career-oriented projects are developed within the
context of other social and health needs of the community. The main goal
of this program is to increase the number of underrepresented minorities in the
construction and environmental remediation industries. The
different programs provide pre-employment job training, including literacy,
life skills, environmental preparation and other related courses construction
skills training; environmental worker training including hazardous waste,
asbestos and lead abatement training; and safety and health training.
Some training also includes enrollment in apprenticeship programs for
construction and environmental remediation worker training. In addition,
particular focus is placed on establishing a program of mentoring. This
program help to enhance the participants' problem solving skills,
understanding of individual self-esteem and teamwork in the application
of technical knowledge to environmental and related problems.
This program promotes partnerships or sub-agreements with academic and
other institutions, with a particular focus on historically black colleges
and universities, and public schools and community-based organizations
located in or nearby the impacted area to provide pre-math, science or
other related education to program participants prior to or concurrent
with entry into the training program. The first cooperative agreements
provided funding for seven programs to train inner city youth
to enter the environmental field.
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