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PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT: Cleaning Up Jacksonville

Nov 1, 2022, 10:58 AM
The Jacksonville Brownfields Program is a 7-week course that offers job training in environmental cleanup. A $500,000 grant awarded to Florida State College at Jacksonville by the Environmental Protection Agency provides funding for 170 students to complete the training through 2012. The best part; its free!

Brownfields are pieces of land that can be hard to redevelop due to the presence of hazardous substances. Graduates of the program receive OSHA and EPA certifications, and are qualified to cleanup these contaminated sites.

“It’s based on the idea that people within the community can get trained to work in the community”, said Sarah Ashbrook, Project Coordinator.

Students of the program receive an E-Reader to complete their coursework.

“If we are teaching lessons to be green, we would be hypocrites not to go that direction”, said Ashbrook.

Not only is this technology cost effective by eliminating pricey text books, but it also takes learning beyond the classroom by serving as a job placement tool using the readers built-in WIFI.

“You can work on a job, you can put your resume on there, you can email, you can Facebook, Twitter; it has a lot of things”, said Victor Coney Jr., a student of the brownfields program.

However, the ultimate goal of the course isn’t to use cool tech gadgets, it’s to benefit the community and get people back to work! Check out the video to learn more about the Jacksonville Brownfields Training Program, and for more information please contact Sarah Ashbrook at sashbrook@fscj.edu or at 904-633-5976.