The youth worked along with NYC DEP employees and independently as teams on projects under the supervision of their designated Youth Coordinator. The youth are paid by the WCHD as interns and are exposed to both a unique summer work experience but also to obtain an understanding of what NYC DEP does in protecting their health and well being, along with protecting the environment. We hope that many of these students will consider a career in environmental technology, but it is also important that they have a better understanding of the importance of the environmental protection work NYC DEP does as they will be taxpayers/rate payers in the future. This year we are especially pleased because one of the former youth participants has since graduated and will be going to college. This person also served as a Youth Coordinator this year. At least 3 of the youth participants were being offered part-time and full-time employment possibilities by NYC DEP. The program continues to gain recognition and interest by other sections in NYC DEP wanting to have an opportunity to have students working for them. The limiting factor for this project is funding support. PETE will be working this fall with all of the partners involved in this project to secure opportunities to offer this program again in the summer of 2005.

For more information on the NYC Youth-in-the-Environment Initiative, please feel free to contact Kirk J. Laflin (CET), PETE Executive Director by E-mail: natlpete@maine.rr.com.

Annual Job Training Grantee Meeting

The Annual Brownfields Job Training and Development Demonstration Grantee Meeting was held on August 25-26, 2004, in Alexandria, VA. Fifty-four people attended the meeting representing EPA-funded job training programs, regional EPA offices, EPA Headquarters, and the Hazardous Materials Training and Research Institute (HMTRI).

The agenda was based on input given by the attendees during the registration process and included the following topics:

• Fulfilling EPA Grant Requirements
• Funding Sources
• Job Placement
• Building Partnerships
• Labor Market Assessment
• Developing Effective Training Programs
• Recruitment and Assessment Techniques for Students and Trainees
• Retention of Students
• Tracking Graduates
• Support Services
• Program Maintenance and Sustainability

The next grantee meeting will be held in the fall of 2005 in the Washington D.C. area. For more information, please contact Glo Hanne at 563.441.4081 or toll-free at 1.866.419.6761, or email her at ghanne@eicc.edu.

The Health, Safety and Environmental Technology (HSET) distance learning program is a competency-based curriculum focusing on technologies that protect the environment, while providing a healthy and accident-free workplace. The 13 courses are delivered through the Internet (eCollege platform) and via correspondence.

Advantages to the HSET program:

• Complete assigned coursework when convenient for you.
• Continue to work with no need to relocate.
• Learn from the best possible faculty: Faculty members, experts in their fields, come from across the U.S.
• Choose to complete a Certificate with a safety or environmental emphasis (18 credit hours) or continue on to an Associates of Applied Science degree.
• Complete the entire AAS degree on-line.
• Continue the educational experience after graduation: several articulation agreements exist with various state universities, private colleges, and online institutions.

CET Certification Accreditation Moves Forward

The voluntary trainer certification, Certified Environmental, Safety and Health Trainer (CET) should be fully accredited by the Council of Engineering and Scientific Specialty Boards (CESB) by the end of the year. The CET certification is sponsored by the National Environmental, Safety and Health Training Association (NESHTA, formerly the National Environmental Training Association, NETA, and launched in 1986). It remains the sole third-party competency certification offered specifically for educators and trainers in the various Environmental, Safety, and Health (ES&H) fields.

To assure that the CET program maintained credibility in a marketplace rife with questionable "certifications," it has operated since 1989 under certification program standards published by the National Organization for Competency Assessment (NOCA), a pioneering accreditation body that originally specialized in the medical field. Following a spurt of "paper mill" type certifications that emerged in the aftermath of new OSHA, EPA, and DOT regulations during the 1990's, a group of the major non-profit associations in ES&H areas met, developed, and published in 1998 an American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard titled Standard Practice for Assessment of Certification Programs for Environmental Professionals: Accreditation Criteria (ASTM E1929-98).

The accreditation agency for most CET "sister" certifications–Certified Hazardous Materials Managers (CHMM), Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), Certified Safety Professional (CSP), and others–is the Council of Engineering and Scientific Specialty Boards (CESB). CESB was founded in 1990 for the same reasons that drove the writing of the ASTM standard. After the publication of the new standard, CESB and NOCA quickly adopted the requirement of using ASTM E1929-98 in their accreditation programs. This provided a firm framework upon which, through accreditation, organizations offering ES&H-related (as well as other engineering and scientific specialties) certifications could assure the public that their voluntary certifications are reputable (required education, experience, and continuing education) and are based upon valid assessment methodologies.

Although it had long and rigorously applied the NOCA standards to the CET program, the high initial and ongoing cost prevented NETA/NESHTA from considering formal accreditation for many years. At its annual meeting in June, 2003, however, the NESHTA board of directors determined that it was critical that the CET be accredited. The board directed that the program join CESB as a full member and seek accreditation as soon as possible. NESHTA's application–actually a "self-assessment" against the standard for its independent CET Board of Certification (BOC)–was accepted by CESB at the end of 2003. As a full member of CESB, the BOC now only must complete the documentation of its system as the final step toward accreditation. This should be completed well before the end of the year.

NESHTA, an ATEEC partner, is an IRS 502(c)(3) educational society located in Phoenix, Arizona. The Western PETE organization is an independent committee within NESHTA.

A 2005 Regional PETE Conference and CCCHST Refresher will be held in Columbus, Ohio, March 17-19.

A Call for Papers will be emailed to everyone.

Please consider presenting at our conference. If you would like to present and haven't received a Call for Papers, please contact Patti Thompson at patti.thompson@kirkwood.edu or at 319.398.5893.

Bob Majchrzak, New HSET Program Facilitator

Bob Majchrzak, the new HSET Program Facilitator (shown on the left)

From environmental consultant to construction superintendent, Bob Majchrzak brings a wealth of experience to his new position as the Director of EICCD's Health, Safety and Environmental Technology (HSET) Online and Correspondence Distance Learning program. Bob graduated with a B.A. in Geology from the University of Colorado at Boulder and an M.S. in Natural Resources and Environmental Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He also is licensed as a Professional Geologist. Bob sees great opportunity in his new position at HSET. He wants to grow the certificate program for HSET and currently is focusing on marketing. He has already revised the brochure, catalog, and Web site and is seeking ways to spread the word about the great potential for students who enroll in HSET.

A broad teaching experience is also part of what Bob brings to his new position. From teaching as a substitute for elementary through high school early in his career, he discovered how students learn and differ in what they need in the educational environment. Bob has also taught as an adjunct professor of Earth Science at McHenry County College (MCC) in Crystal Lake, IL.

From his General Superintendent position for a Construction firm, Bob learned how to manage multiple areas and coordinate them to complete jobs. From being a Project Manager for an environmental consulting firm in Vernon, IL, he gained on-site experience and specific knowledge in helping small businesses to Fortune 500 companies like Deere and Company with environmental compliance issues.

Bob is married and enjoys time spent with his wife cycling and gardening. An avid reader, mostly nonfiction, he also LOVES to remodel his home. Just for pure joy and relaxation, he spends time walking and playing with his Akita, Kodi. We are very pleased to welcome Bob to EICCD and look forward to seeing his plans for HSET evolve!

Malcom (shown on the right side of the picture with the red hat and the black shirt) assists one of the other instructors with an overpack.

Malcom Bufkin, Graduate of Texas State Technical College (TSTC)

When I talked with Mike McKay, instructor in the Environmental Science program at Texas State Technical College (TSTC), about Malcom Bufkin, his student, he said, "He is a nice guy who just kept watching our students and came over one day and said he would like to enroll in the program even though he had a full-time firefighter job." During a phone interview recently, Malcom said it was BECAUSE he was a firefighter that he could go to school and complete in two years. Firefighters, he said, work one day and have two off. The only challenge was that if his pager went off, he might have to leave for an emergency. In the two years he went to school, that never happened.

Malcom graduated from the Environmental Science program at TSTC recently with all but one A in his courses. Mike, his instructor, said that his internship was a little unusual. Because Malcom had taught continuing education classes for the local firefighters since 1993, he was very experienced in doing training. His internship seemed a natural fit-to teach Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) training.

Malcom is currently employed by the Breckenridge Fire Department, and during his off-time, he does instructional work for DSC Environmental Services out of Ranger, Texas. He is currently in the process of applying for a part-time position in the continuing education department of TSTC Breckenridge campus, which is the school from which he graduated and for whom he assisted in teaching some of their programs. During his career, he has always worked jobs that are physically demanding and is really enjoying teaching because it is challenging in a different way. Teaching, he said, gives him a lot of satisfaction!

“I would really like to express my thanks to Mike McKay for helping me get into the Train-the-Trainer school in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This is a grant funded program that gives training for Hazwoper as well as other environmental health and safety issues. It is run through the Kirkwood Community College's Hazardous Materials Training and Research Institute (HMTRI). This experience really opens up many doors for me, such as working for the continuing education department. I would also like to thank my employer for allowing me to attend school and work it around my schedule.” --Malcom Bufkin