New Bedford environmental workforce training program offering free Osha certification course

Recruitment Open for 40-Hour Course; Starts Sept. 19 at Quest Center

New Bedford’s Department of Environmental Stewardship and community partners are recruiting job-seekers for environmental workforce programs that provide training, job placement and retention services for area residents.

The new round of programs begins Monday, Sept. 19, with a free, weeklong OSHA Hazardous Waste Operator certification. The certification course will be offered from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Quest Center, 1213 Purchase St., from Sept. 19 – 23.

Additional programs will provide training for careers in:

• Environmental lead and asbestos abatement and construction
• Clean water certification
• Environmental emergency response and waste management services
• Wind energy and waterfront industrial fields
• Industrial health and safety

More than 40 Greater New Bedford residents have completed the OSHA certification offered next week. Many have gone on to complete courses in maritime and waterfront construction, asbestos abatement, and lead abatement.

The environmental workforce training programs are funded by a federal Environmental Protection Agency grant. Principal local partners include the MassHire Career Center of Greater New Bedford and Bristol Community College.

Community partners include the Old Beford Village Development Corp., New Bedford Economic Development Council, Positive Action Against Chemical Addiction (PAACA), and the Immigrants Assistance Center.

To register, call the City’s Environmental Stewardship Office at 508-991-6188, or contact John “Buddy” Andrade of the Old Bedford Village Development Corp. at 774-202-0603 or obvdcbr@yahoo.com.