The Minority Worker Training (MWT) program fosters economic self-sufficiency, creates sustainable community partnerships, promotes environmental justice and environmental restoration, and contributes to community revitalization.

The intensive 14-week program is designed to:

• Improve basic academic, professional, and life skills
• Increase health and safety awareness
• Promote environmental stewardship
• Provide technical skills training in environmental remediation, construction, energy efficiency and related green occupational fields

Mentoring, case management, job development, and follow-up support after completion of the MWT Program are built in. The tuition-free program covers the cost of licensing, testing fees, lunch and transportation.

In addition to professional development and academic training, graduates can obtain licenses and certifications in the following:

• Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) Certificate
• Asbestos Abatement Worker Certificate and License
• Lead Abatement Worker/Supervisor Certificate and License
• Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Certificate
• Mold Awareness Certificate
• Confined Space Certificate
• Lock-out/Tag-out Certificate
• 10/30hour OSHA General/Construction Industry Standards Certificate
• First Aid/CPR Certificate

OAI’s MWT Consortium includes the following partners in the following cities:

Chicago, IL	Administered by OAI, Inc.
Bronx, NY	Administered by OAI, Inc. in partnership with Sustainable South Bronx
Kansas City, MO/KS	Administered by Era Environmental and Safety
Dallas, TX	Administered by Central Dallas Ministries

Funding for the MWT program is provided by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), the Fry Foundation and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s Digital Divide Grant.

For more information on OAI’s MWT Programs, please contact

• Montgomery Proffit, MWT Program Manager, at mproffit@oaiinc.org
  or at (312) 528-3521.

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The City of Chicago Department of Environment’s Greencorps Chicago program is a paid job training and community-greening program launched by the Chicago Department of Environment in 1994. In partnership with WRD Environmental, Greencorps hires approximately 70 Chicagoans each spring to participate in a 12-month program designed to prepare them for a variety of environmental related jobs including landscaping, environmental remediation and demolition, redevelopment and construction, weatherization, recycling, and warehousing of toxic and/or potentially hazardous products.

During the 12-month program, trainees receive hands-on training and work experience in:

• Horticulture and landscaping with community gardens, public parks and schools
• Electronics recycling and disposal of household hazardous waste at the Goose Island Hazardous and Household Waste Recycling Facility
• Home energyaudits and weatherization
• Environmental Health and Safety Training
• Professional Development, Life Skills and Academic training

In January 2007, OAI, Inc. solidified its relationship with CDOE by becoming a sub-partner with WRD Environmental for the Greencorps Chicago program. Through this relationship, OAI receives funding to provide ourtreach and recruitment services and Academic, Professional Development, and Life Skills training to Greencorps trainees.

In addition, OAI brings US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-funded environmental remediation and health & safety training to the Greencorps Chicago program.

In June 2009, OAI received funding from the Wal-Mart Foundation via the US Conference of Mayors to expand Greencorps Chicago’s green jobs training and provide new and expanded program development.

For more information on OAI’s training for the City of Chicago’s Greencorps program, please contact

• Michelle Williams, Program Coordinator,
  at mwilliams@oaiinc.org or at (312) 528-3516



• Patrick Brown, Manager Environtmental Health & Safety Training,
  at pbrown@oaiinc.org or at (312) 528-3526

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The Chicago Southland YouthBuild (CSYB) program recruits and trains at-risk youth living in south Cook County communities: Riverdale, Blue Island, Dixmoor, Dolton, Harvey, Calumet Park, Robbins, and Chicago’s 9th and 34th Wards.

In this 32-week program, low-income high school dropouts between ages 18 and 24 work to attain their high school equivalency certificates (GED) and learn job skills while building green affordable housing in their communities. Strong emphasis is placed on leadership development, community service, health & safety and environmental literacy.

The core YouthBuild program objectives are:

1. To enable disadvantaged young adults who are high school dropouts to obtain the education and employment skills necessary to achieve self-sufficiency
2. To provide opportunities for meaningful work and service to community
3. To foster the development of employment and leadership skills
4. To expand the supply of permanent affordable housing for low-income families

For its YouthBuild initiative, OAI has partnered with South Suburban College (SSC) located in South Holland, Illinois, and Habitat for Humanity Chicago South Suburbs, located in Chicago Heights, Illinois, to provide YouthBuild students with requisite preparatory instruction for the attainment of a GED certificate, construction training leading to the Home Builders Institute certificate in PACT: Pre Apprenticeship Certificate Training, and hands-on work constructing affordable housing. OAI is also partnering with Bethlehem Temple Community Development Corporation of Harvey, Illinois, The Gloria Taylor Foundation of Harvey, Illinois, The Chicago Wisdom Project of Chicago, and Teens Acting in Community (TAIC) of Riverdale, Illinois.

Over the course of 32 weeks, each student receives 560 hours of classroom training and 448 hours of hands-on experiential learning in construction. The hands-on training is conducted at Habitat for Humanity’s work sites in Riverdale and Harvey, Illinois. In addition to academics, leadership development, and basic construction, OAI’s curriculum helps prepare participants for green collar jobs by featuring instruction in green building techniques, energy efficiency, conservation and environmental justice.

Chicago Southland YouthBuild is generously funded by the Department of Labor.

For more information please contact the Program Coordinator,
Kreshina Ingram, at kingram@oaiinc.org or at (708) 339-8173.

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The primary goal of the Chicago Southland Brownfield Job Training (CSBJT) program is to provide Illinois residents living in Brownfields-impacted communities in southern Cook County with core hazardous waste and worker safety training followed by specialized training and placement into one of two employment training tracks:

1. Environmental Remediation
2. Weatherization.

A second goal is to create a professional level Weatherization Curriculum that will be shared with all area training providers who wish to use it.

For more information please contact the Sr. Program Manager,
Mollie Dowling at mdowling@oaiinc.org or at (708) 339-8173.

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