GEI Consultants, Inc.’s experience with hiring two graduates of the St. Nick’s Workforce Development Environmental Remediation Technician Training Program (which is located in New York City and was funded by USEPA) has been a success and we suggest that more companies look into this pool of environmental workers. For those readers in Southern New Jersey, Camden County Community College offers a similar program. During the 12 week program participants earned various certifications needed in the remediation industry, including HAZWOPER 40 hour training. The graduates also have asbestos and lead abatement training and certifications, OSHA disaster site worker and 10-hour construction awareness certifications, mold technician certifications and others. The graduates have the skills needed to immediately become productive in the environmental workforce. GEI’s employees are New York City residents based out of our Montclair office and work on many jobs in New York City (but not exclusively). This is important because you should never underestimate the importance of infrastructure: good public and highway transportation in the New York metropolitan area helped to make our experience a successful one. Both gentlemen were mature, enthusiastic program graduates with construction or business backgrounds. One of GEI’s employees who graduated from the program has been described as “a hustler in the best sense of the word” who had the “resourcefulness and force of personality” to know what he wanted and to go after it. We’re glad he and his colleague wanted GEI and the environmental profession.
Environmental Business Council
