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Alaska College Teaches Asbestos Abatement Courses
Due to overwhelming demand from local businesses, Ilisagvik College in Barrow, Alaska recently held a 40 hour asbestos abatement training and certification course. An 8 hour "refresher" course was also made available for those seeking recertification. "Based on employers' information of immediate jobs on the North Slope, this class was scheduled with the hope of getting as many people certified as possible so they can become employed," said Kathy Leary, who is Ilisagvik College's Center for Workforce and Community Development Training Manager.
The courses were offered at the behest of local companies that have many upcoming projects that will require temporary full-time workers trained in the safe removal of asbestos. Asbestos must be properly removed in order to protect the health and safety of people in the community, and also to comply with environmental regulations.
Asbestos exposure may cause lung cancer, asbestosis, asthma, chronic respiratory distress and mesothelioma, a fatal form of cancer that can manifest within the lining of the heart, abdomen or lungs.
Organizations that may hire graduates include Ukpeagvik Inupiat Corporation (UIC), Native Village of Barrow and Olgoonik Corporation. In addition, Harpoon, a subsidiary of UIC, recently began an environmental clean-up project this month that required skilled asbestos removal experts. All told, the project created nearly 20 new jobs so far.
Upcoming renovations projects in Barrow also require the expertise of the newly certified asbestos abatement workers. Olgoonik Corporation CEO Bill Culbertson also wanted the training programs to be made available to residents of Wainwright and other North Slope villages. This is because there are two proposed projects in Wainwright within the next 12 months that would require asbestos abatement. Thanks to a joint effort by Ilisagvik College's Center for Workforce and Community Development, Native Village of Barrow and the North Slope Borough Savaat Center, the course was free for North Slope residents.