Presentation by Eli Allen, Civic Works' Baltimore Center for Green Careers on their activity under a 2012 EPA Urban Waters Small Grant. Presented at the December 2015 Baltimore Urban Waters Partnership meeting.

1. EPA Urban Waters Small Grants:
Growing the Stormwater Management Industry and Creating
Pathways out of Poverty

2. Baltimore Center for Green Careers
A venture of the non-profit Civic Works
Mission: Advance environmental sustainability
and expand access to family-sustaining green
careers for Baltimore residents traditionally
locked out of high quality jobs

3. Two Key Grant Objectives
1. Expand Homeowner Investment
Encourage homeowner investment in
water retrofits that reduce stormwater
runoff and conserve water usage.
2. Expand Job Access
Train underserved workers to reduce a
home’s water consumption and
stormwater runoff

4. Water Retrofit Results
Water Conservation
• 1,855,700 gallons of water saved per year
• 439 participating homeowners
• 482 low-flow showerheads
• 697 faucet aerators
Stormwater
• 127 stormwater audits performed by BWB
• 20 rain barrels
• 8 downspout disconnects
• 2 trees planted
• 2 properties removed invasive species
• 1 property removed hardscape

5. Stormwater Job Training Results
Incorporated a stormwater construction and
maintenance module into BCGC’s brownfields
remediation training, in partnership with BWB
• 77 enrolled
• 70 graduated (91%)
• 59 placed (84%) into family-sustaining jobs
• Starting wages of $12 to $16 per hour

6. Plans for the Future
Water Retrofits
• Continue successful indoor water retrofit
program
• Integrate downspout disconnects into all
residential sustainability improvement projects
Job Training
• Launch a standalone three month stormwater
training track in 2017
• Support the development of a stormwater
worker certification program

7. 2017 Stormwater Training Launch

8. Integrated Approach for Job Training
Classroom and
Hands-on
Training
Business
Development:
Improving Job
Access and
Quality
On-the-Job
Training

9. Addressing Barriers to Employment
• Employee Barriers : Lack of soft skills and
marketable job skills
• Employer Barriers: Narrow hiring networks and
resistance to hiring residents with criminal
records
• Market Barrier: Few local Baltimore-based
contractors

10. Stormwater Labor Market Analysis
• Demand Drivers
– Government purchasing, policy requirements, etc.
– Baltimore City: spending on stormwater construction will grow
from < $1M to $40M in 2018
• Employer Hiring Trajectory
– Average growth of 40% over the past two years
• Average Wage Levels
– $12 - $16 per hour
• Skills Gaps
– Strong essential skills, equipment operations, excavation, on-
site vegetation maintenance, and sediment and erosion
control
• Minimum Qualification Requirements
– Knowledge, skill and certification barriers that are attainable
through training
– No formal education requirements

11. Stormwater Industry Objectives
• Qualify and place individuals with few
marketable skills in mid-skill stormwater
positions earning family-sustaining wages
• Provide participants with a competitive labor
market advantage
• Avoid placing graduates into entry-level
laborer or temporary positions
• Help employers understand the benefits of
establishing workforce development
partnerships, and changing how they hire

12. Classroom and
Hands-on Training

13. BCGC Image

14. Soft Skills and
Case Management
• Resume writing
• Interview skills
• Being punctual
• Goal setting
• Supportive services
• Securing a driver’s
license
• 2 yrs of post-placement
case management

15. Certifications
Stormwater
• Clean Water Certification
(planned)
• OSHA 10 Hr or 30 Hr
• OSHA Confined Space
• Erosion and sediment
control
• Pesticide applicator,
fertilizer applicator and
nutrient management
certifications

16. Hands-on Training
• Minimum of 80 hours
• Students learn best
by doing
• Must pass hands-on
assessment before
beginning on-the-job
training

17. On-the-Job Training

18. Impact of OJT
• Provides graduates with
a strong competitive
advantage
• Staff can strongly vouch
for a student’s skills,
trustworthiness and
professionalism

19. Business
Development:
Improving Job Access
and Job Quality

20. Transforming Employer Practices
Low Quality
• Screens out applicants with
non-job-related criminal
records, regardless of
qualifications
• Recruits through narrow
networks
• Low wages and inconsistent
hours
• Few opportunities for
advancement
High Quality
• Conducts an individual
assessment of each job
candidate, following EEOC
guidelines
• Recruits from underserved
communities
• Exclusively hires from BCGC
• Family-sustaining wages and
full-time consistent hours
• Strong career ladders and
investment in career
support

21. Contact:
Eli Allen
Director
Baltimore Center for Green Careers
eallen@baltimoregreencareers.org
(410) 929-6135
www.baltimoregreencareers.org