11

May

2023

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01:02 AM

Europe/Amsterdam

Award represents 10-year anniversary and $1 million mark since DMC began safety training programs through Workforce Programs & Corporate Services and Continuing Education & Off-Campus Programs Divisions

Article by Melinda Eddleman

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While being a source for workers’ comp insurance is who we are, our mission extends beyond that to include supporting programs that help prevent workplace accidents. We’ve said for a long time that workplace safety education is a sound investment, and we truly mean that.

Stacy Rose, Safety Services Manager, Austin Region, Texas Mutual Insurance Company

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DMC faculty member Glen Ray Davis and Texas Mutual Safety Services Manager Austin Region Stacy Rose

DMC faculty member Glen Ray Davis and Texas Mutual Safety Services Manager Austin Region Stacy Rose

Rose added, “We are so happy to have Del Mar College as a part of that safety investment, and we recognize the work you are doing in Corpus Christi to help make your workforce safer.”

“Initially, the College began a ‘Bus Safety First’ Program utilizing Texas Mutual grant funding to provide safety training to licensed bus operators,” Lenora Keas, DMC Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, told guests during the announcement. “We expanded training and offered more courses to local employers and their employees, as well as the general public, so what started as one course expanded to 26 offerings over a 10-year period, now ranging from industrial heavy equipment to food service safety and hurricane preparedness, among many others.”

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Our safety courses provide trainees the knowledge and skills required to perform their jobs or any work-related activity safely, minimizing the hazards that could put themselves or others at risk. The majority of these trainees have been employees working for our industry and community partners across the Coastal Bend region, ranging from industrial construction to petrochemical fields to city governments.

Dan Korus, Dean of Workforce Programs & Corporate Services

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Maricela Velasquez_Gulf Training and Development Manager with BrandSafway

Maricela Velasquez_Gulf Training and Development Manager with BrandSafway

Companies such as BrandSafway, MMR, SIGNET, Kiewit Offshore Services, ArcelorMittal, the City of Corpus Christi and many others have come to Del Mar College for critical safety training for their employees.

Korus said, “Texas Mutual’s Safety Grant gives us the resources to deliver that training as a low to no-cost offering, allowing our partners to provide their employees additional training that enhances their ‘Safety Culture.’”

He also noted that the grant also supports under-to-unemployed individuals who have the potential to upskill or reskill for area jobs while also adding safety-related industrial credentials to give them a competitive edge while entering the workforce.

“Many of these individuals receive partial to full tuition coverage from the grant,” Korus added.

During the past year, DMC provided training in 55 courses to 635 people. Over the past decade, those figures equate to 5,010 individuals and 584 safety classes offered through the two DMC divisions.

CPR Demonstration with two DMC students

CPR Demonstration with two DMC students

DMC Continuing Education now offers training in CPR and first aid to coaches, parents and students involved in youth sports as part of a collaboration with the Texas A&M University Agrilife Extension Division and their Healthy South Texas Program. His division also provides a Radiation Safety course targeting personnel in the industrial radiography business and individuals who work with Gamma or X-ray radiation, along with DMC Nondestructive Testing Technology students, to  deliver critical safety training. Other safety training focuses on HVAC refrigerant recovery, recycling and reclaiming following Environmental Protection Agency regulations and safety practices and equipment needed for field training in the College’s new Electrical Lineworker Program.

Of his division’s new program, Dr. Rivera added, “Thanks to Texas Mutual’s grant, we’re not only training new lineworkers for our industry partners but ensuring that training includes the safety components required in this field.”

After the check presentation, the College showcased safety practices during a forklift training obstacle course demo, a CPR techniques demo using a mannequin and a radiation safety demo using a mock Gamma camera and small ultrasonic unit used for weld inspections at refineries. Additionally, guests could watch a video featuring Electrical Lineworker students who were the first to finish the new Continuing Education program in April undergoing final exam exercises on utility poles. Funds from Texas Mutual have helped support these and other programs.

Learn more about Del Mar College’s Safety Training Program offerings by visiting delmar.edu/continuing-education/index.html.

About Del Mar College

Del Mar College empowers students to achieve their dreams. We offer quality programs, individual attention, outstanding instruction through faculty with real-world experience and affordable costs to credit and noncredit students in Corpus Christi and the South Texas Coastal Bend area. Nationally recognized while locally focused, we’re ranked in the top two percent of community colleges in the country granting associate degrees to Hispanic students (Community College Week). Del Mar College focuses on offering our students programs that match current or emerging career opportunities. Whether students are interested in the fine arts, sciences, business, occupational or technical areas, students get the education they need for the future they want at Del Mar College.