Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Training And Apprenticeship topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Repurpose Savannah wins federal apprenticeship approval; nonprofit targets women and meticulous salvage tracking
Summary
Repurpose Savannah announced federal approval of a large‑scale apprenticeship and described a women‑plus training model that emphasizes salvage audits, documentation, and tonnage reporting; the group reported diverting 475 tons of historic materials in 2024.
Katie Fitzhugh, director of deconstruction and one of the interim co‑executive directors of Repurpose Savannah, told the MassDEP webinar her nonprofit focuses on training women and other underrepresented people to work in deconstruction and salvage. She said Repurpose Savannah was recently approved at the federal level for a large‑scale apprenticeship program and expects to expand training capacity.
Fitzhugh described a training model that begins with inspection and a salvage audit, followed by 3‑D scanning, documentation (elevations, photos, floor plans) and partnering with preservation firms for historical assessments. She emphasized careful processing and tracking of diverted material tonnage so clients can account for material value and so projects can document outcomes for tax and grant purposes. "We just got approved for a very large scale apprenticeship. It was just approved on the federal level," she said.
Repurpose Savannah reported keeping 475 tons of historic building materials out of landfills in 2024 and noted that salvage markets and local recycling outlets vary by region, which affects what materials can realistically be diverted. Fitzhugh recommended that communities identify local outlets and partners, and highlighted national resources like Build Reuse and All4Reuse for locating vendors and buyers.
The organization also emphasized attention to equity in workforce recruitment and to hands‑on retention through reuse innovation center models that expose trainees to multiple circular businesses.
