20 Students Successfully
Complete Hazmat Training Program
By Emilia
Flin/APRISF.ORG
SAN FRANCISCO - On April
6th 2012 the A. Philip Randolph Institute San Francisco
(APRISF) completed a class of construction workers from
the Bayview-Hunters Point community. Each student
received a 40-hour Hazwoper/Hazmat training certificate.
In a collaborative effort between APRISF and CityBuild,
an employment program under the Workforce Development
Division of the Office of Economic and Workforce
Development, 25 candidates were screened and selected.
The trainers were provided by the Environmental Safety
Training Professionals, Ltd., and the program was hosted
in the Alex Pitcher Room at the Southeast Community
Facility. From April 2nd to the 6th, students remained
diligent in completing the community based training. Of
the 20 graduates 6 students received re-certifications
while 14 received their Hazmat certification.
With these certificates to add to their employment
profiles, students of this program are now more
competitive in the construction field. Having a hazmat
certification is a requirement for most jobs in the
construction industry in order for laborers and other
construction workers to receive long term work. These
certificates also broaden their skill set, increasing
their employability even if their trade is not general
labor, such as carpentry or painting. Hazmat skills are
not limited to labor work, one example being chemical
removal jobs, and therefore widening the variety of jobs
available to these graduates.
We offer community based training sessions in order to
address the social barriers many residents face in our
community. Low income, transportation issues, and
awareness of supportive resources are the chief
blockades that our residents face.
APRISF works in partnership with the City and County of
San Francisco, other workforce community based
organizations such as Young Community Developers to
provide a comprehensive set of services to community
members. We would like to grant a special thank you to
Fathina Holmes (CityBuild), our workforce partners
Javier Flores (Laborers’ Local 261), Taula Seals (YCD),
our workforce staff Don Hightower, Stanley Farmer,
Dedria Smith, and the hard working students for
completing a successful program.
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