NYCHA Resident Finds Success Through the NRTA Program

When exterminator Christine Taylor shows up for pest appointments, she said residents are often surprised to see her. “All the time, they’ll go, ‘You’re the exterminator? I hope you’re not scared of roaches.’ It’s because I’m a woman and I’m short, but then I get the job done and they realize I’m experienced.”  

Ms. Taylor is an exterminator in NYCHA’s Manhattan Borough Office. She is also a NYCHA resident and happy to have had the opportunity to launch her career in pest control at the Authority thanks to NYCHA’s Resident Training Academy (NRTA), which is managed by the Resident Economic Empowerment & Sustainability (REES) office. She graduated from the pest control track of the NRTA in March 2020. The NRTA, funded by the Robin Hood Foundation, offers employment-linked training opportunities exclusively to NYCHA residents in janitorial, construction, and pest control tracks, as well as job placement assistance.  

“The NRTA is an incredible opportunity for residents to gain the skills and certifications they need to start a career in pest control,” said Evelyn Melendez, project manager of Training Initiatives at REES. “I always tell residents not to second guess their thoughts on training with the NRTA because they too are capable of working in this impactful industry. I applaud Ms. Taylor and the other graduates who followed their inner voices and put in the hard work.” 

Ms. Taylor saw flyers for the NRTA in her mother’s Washington Houses building (where she grew up), then in her East River Houses building, and decided it was a sign for her to sign up.  

“I went through the REES program to become a caretaker and I scored high on the assessment; they asked if I wanted to take the pest control course instead,” Ms. Taylor said. “I’m not afraid of bugs – it’s something that’s never bothered me, so I said yes.” 

Ms. Taylor took the full-time five-week training course through Brooklyn Workforce Innovations (BWI), which also prepares participants for the New York State Pesticide Certification Exam (7A). Due to the pandemic, the state test was delayed; however, Ms. Taylor took the test in July 2020 and passed. She and 15 graduates of the pest control track were hired as seasonal aides by NYCHA in August 2020. She then became a Pest Control Aide, working with an experienced exterminator for approximately a year to learn the ins and outs of the job. As an aide, she couldn’t work with pesticides, but instead assisted the exterminator with other work such as sealing and caulking holes. She became a civil service exterminator in July 2022. 

Prior to working for NYCHA, she worked overnight for Amazon Fresh. She completed the NRTA Program while she worked for Amazon. But once schools closed due to the pandemic, she left to stay home with her children. She is a wife and mother of six children ages 4 to 19.  

Ms. Taylor is happy to no longer work overnights and to have a job with career growth that enables her to help her fellow residents: “I love being able to help a family that has mice coming in and doesn’t know what to do. I can find the hole, close the hole, and when I come back for the follow-up they say, ‘Hey, we don’t have any more mice.’ And a lot of my work is educating residents on things they can do themselves to help remedy the problems.” 

“NRTA is a great way to bring people without extermination experience into the trade,” Josephine Bartlett, NYCHA’s Senior Director of Pest Management, said. “They get ample training before they take their State test. And then once they pass, they are hired as pest control aides and get to learn from exterminators on the job.” 

Since the NRTA began in 2010, over 3,365 NYCHA residents graduated from the program, 88 percent of whom were hired by NYCHA as Caretaker Js, Caretaker Ms, Pest Control Technicians, Emergency Service Aides, City Service Aides, and Maintenance Aides as well as by NYCHA contractors and affordable housing developers for various construction-related positions. 

“I’m a really big advocate of the NRTA program,” Ms. Taylor said. “I tell other residents my story and refer them to REES. A lot of people don’t realize that these jobs are waiting for them and all they have to do is sign up.” 

REES is currently recruiting for the construction, pest control, and janitorial tracks of the NRTA program. Learn more about the program and sign up for an information session by visiting http://opportunitynycha.org/workforce-development/nycha-resident-training-academy/.