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SuperJTI FAQs
Key Topics
- What is EPA's role in the SuperJTI program? What does the Agency actually do?
- Why does NIEHS provide funding for SuperJTI training rather than EPA?
- Can I recommend a community to EPA as a potential SuperJTI site?
- How can I sign up to get training under SuperJTI?
- Can I pick the type of training I receive under SuperJTI?
- If I am employed at a Superfund site after receiving SuperJTI training, will I be required to work with hazardous waste? Is it dangerous?
- How much does the training cost? How long does it last?
- Are SuperJTI trainees guaranteed a job after completing the training?
- What happens to workers employed at Superfund sites after the cleanup is completed?
- What are some things I should keep in mind to ensure that my SuperJTI site is successful?
What is EPA's role in the SuperJTI program? What does the Agency actually do?
Because EPA by law is unable to fund SuperJTI activities, its role is mainly advisory. EPA is responsible for deciding which sites are good candidates for SuperJTI, providing program guidance at the national level, and coordinating local SuperJTI participants. In a nutshell, EPA uses its community outreach mechanisms to create partnerships with local businesses and community organizations and other federal agencies to develop and support job training, but does not deliver or fund the training directly.
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Why does NIEHS provide funding for SuperJTI training rather than EPA?
Because SuperJTI is not specifically authorized under the Superfund statute, the Agency is unable to use Superfund money to pay for SuperJTI activities. EPA has developed a partnership with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), which provides grant funding for job training under its Minority Worker Training Program, to fund the SuperJTI program. This partnership has allowed two programs with similar goals to share resources and establish a framework for training at Superfund sites across the country, while improving the economic and environmental conditions in communities.
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Can I recommend a community to EPA as a potential SuperJTI site?
Each year, EPA provides a list of recommended SuperJTI sites to NIEHS, from which NIEHS may select those it deems most worthy. While EPA feels it has a good idea of which sites have the greatest potential for success under SuperJTI, it will consider any serious suggestions from individuals and will apply the same criteria to those sites as to any others in the selection process.
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How can I sign up to get training under SuperJTI?
Because SuperJTI has such a local focus, you probably would not be able or eager to sign up unless you live in a community near a SuperJTI site. Your best bet for learning about nearby SuperJTI sites is to contact your local community advisory group, or your EPA regional office. If there is a SuperJTI site near your home, you will receive further details on how to sign up for training at any information sessions or open houses offered in conjunction with that effort.
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Can I pick the type of training I receive under SuperJTI?
The training offered under SuperJTI usually falls into one or more of the following three categories: life skills, environmental cleanup, and Human Health & Ecological Risk. The training curriculum is often set before trainees are identified, and completion of all portions of the training is generally required to receive certification. However, it may be possible to skip one component (e.g., life skills) if an individual is already employed and marketable but wishes to enhance his or her professional credentials. Check with your training coordinator at the orientation/information session for details.
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If I am employed at a Superfund site after receiving SuperJTI training, will I be required to work with hazardous waste? Is it dangerous?
SuperJTI trainees may work with hazardous waste, or at least at sites where hazardous materials are present, but in general the risk should be low. Many trainees will take positions as equipment operators, construction workers, or other jobs where the likelihood of coming into contact with hazardous materials is very low. Besides, trainees learn how to use state-of-the-art protective clothing and other safety equipment if there is a chance that they will come into contact with hazardous materials. Trainees should not be overly concerned about the risk involved in their jobs.
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How much does the training cost? How long does it last?
SuperJTI training is free of charge! Sometimes the local partnership can even provide transportation to and from the training site, child care during training hours, or even a small stipend for students who attend all of the training sessions. These benefits will vary from site to site, however, so you should not assume that they will be provided in all cases. Generally, training will last from one week (40 hours) to three weeks, depending on how comprehensive the training program is designed to be.
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Are SuperJTI trainees guaranteed a job after completing the training?
SuperJTI is designed to give you some of the tools you need to improve your chances of being employed; earning the job and doing good work in order to keep the job are up to you. While the SuperJTI process entails facilitation of job placement, there are no guarantees. To maximize the odds of placing trainees in jobs soon after completion of training, the partnership should aim to coordinate training with the availability of jobs in the community (e.g., at a Superfund site cleanup).
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What happens to workers employed at Superfund sites after the cleanup is completed?
After the cleanup is completed, trainees will have a solid entry on their resumes that will make them even more marketable in the environmental field. Ideally, the contractor that first hired them will want to retain them as full-time staff to work on other projects. In other cases, there may be employment opportunities with other contractors at nearby Superfund cleanups. In addition, there may be ongoing lead or asbestos abatement occurring in the community, for which trainees may be qualified. Again, the goal of SuperJTI is to help you get a "foot in the door." The rest is up to you. Past SuperJTI trainees will tell you that "you get out of the process whatever you put in." If you work hard and show dedication to doing a good job, employment opportunities should be available to you.
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What are some things I should keep in mind to ensure that my SuperJTI site is successful?
The elements that past experience has shown to be helpful for a successful SuperJTI effort include:
- Have a single coordinator in the community to champion the project. Someone whose time is divided among many projects will find it hard to implement a successful SuperJTI effort. In addition, the coordination required cannot be done from a distance. An excellent resource could be local graduate students (e.g., law, public policy, environmental studies, urban planning) who could take on the project as a thesis topic.
- Recruit aggressively. Meet with potential trainees face-to-face to assess their level of interest. This will help ensure that the trainees are enthusiastic and committed to improving their skills.
- Identify all potential local partners who could assist with the effort. Local community groups and activists have familiarity with the community and its residents, which enables them to serve as effective liaison between the trainees and the partnership. They also have resources that could be donated to reduce the burden of developing and delivering training.
- Choose training locations near the site. If trainees need to travel a long distance to get to the training, their attendance (and thus, their learning) will suffer. This is an especially important consideration because many trainees may not own or have ready access to a car.
- Use innovative techniques to encourage class attendance and participation. Providing a stipend for students who complete the training is one way to encourage attendance, although doing so may attract some individuals who will sit through the training just to get the money. Using videos, overheads, interactive and role-playing exercises, and on-site tours wherever possible can increase trainees' interest in learning and help them learn more efficiently than they would in a classroom/lecture setting.
- Publicize the program early in the process to enhance the job placement phase. By getting word out not only through word of mouth, but through the media, more potential employers will be aware of the training and may have enough lead time to plan their hiring actions in accordance with the SuperJTI schedule.
- Provide ways for participants to interact with on-site workers. Visiting the site and interacting with workers doing similar jobs will allow trainees to get an idea of what their job conditions are likely to be.
- Make the program permanent so that its impacts will be not only short-term, but long-term. An ongoing program will ensure not only that new trainees will continually enter the program, but also that past trainees will be able to return and benefit from future training and recruitment efforts if necessary.