2022 marked the fifth and final year of EC’s Environmental Workforce Training (EWT) Program. Developed through a partnership with Penn State Wilkes-Barre and the region’s four workforce development boards, the program sought to bring attention to local environmental problems and to cultivate a skilled workforce to help in addressing them.
In total, 74 individuals graduated from the program, many of whom went on to find jobs in the environmental sector, working with engineering firms, testing laboratories, utilities, nonprofits, and even the PA Game Commission and PADEP. Others chose to continue their education at the college level. The professional ─ and often personal ─ journeys of participants has been inspiring to watch, and EC and its many community and corporate partners are incredibly proud to have been a part of them. The EWT Program was supported through major grants by USEPA and ARC, and additional funding from the PPL Foundation and the Robert H. Spitz Foundation.
Pictures, from left to right: HAZWOPER 40 practicum; surveying on the PSU Wilkes-Barre campus; water sampling with EPCAMR; soil sampling with Dr. Brian Oram. Featured image: Dr. Frank Derby (left) presenting program certificate to Christopher Jones (right).
