GARY -- In 2002, Rondell Adams was getting tired of his job in retail and looking for a career switch.
"Retail is one of those types of things, they hire you, they fire you. I was tired of the same old, same old and the hustle and bustle. You work so hard for so little. So I said, let me put myself in a situation" with more job security, better pay and benefits, Adams said.
Through a friend of his family, Adams heard about a new brownfield training program.
He enrolled and received certifications in handling asbestos and hazardous materials. That helped him get an internship, and his experience in the environmental field eventually landed him his current job as a project manager with Environmental Analysis Inc. in Chicago.
Even "in this tough economy, there's almost always work in this field with expertise for environmental services," Adams said. "Work is slow (right now) because it's construction related, but once construction begins, 80 percent is open to people as long as they're open to the training."
The city of Gary is hoping to offer a similar opportunity, but with additional "green jobs" training, to 75 people starting next fall.
The city has applied for a $200,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to expand its brownfield job training program for two years, educating people to become environmental technicians.
"You train people to do environmental work. A lot has been associated with brownfields in the past, like lead removal, asbestos removal. Now we're adding green components to that so it has to do with energy audits and rain gardens and so on," said Dorreen Carey, director of Gary's department of environmental affairs. "This would be the first time we're training people to do native plantings and rain gardens."
The program would start in the fall of 2009 if the grant goes through.
The city and some of its partnering contractors, who will be training people, will contribute about $174,000 in in-kind matching funds in the form of training, she said. Part of the program would be on-site training through apprenticeship programs.
Carey said former participants in the brownfield program have been hired by environmental consulting firms, BP and U.S. Steel.
Carey said she hopes to find out in March whether Gary will receive the grant.
"I think we have a good chance," she said. "We've been the recipient of a number of EPA?grants. Gary is in a really good position and has the demographics to be eligible and recognizedly in need of that support. We have a good foundation here to run a great program."
If the program becomes a success, the city hopes to continue it with financial help from companies that hire its graduates.
The city is taking names of people who are interested. Carey said she hopes to recruit at least 300 people to apply for the program, then narrow the field to 75 participants.
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