Del Mar College receives a $100,000 grant from Texas Mutual Insurance to expand its safety training, aiming to reduce incidents in workplaces.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A big boost for Del Mar College as they’re awarded $100,000 grant from Texas Mutual Insurance Company support and expand its workplace safety training program.

This marks the 13th year the grant will help make safety training more affordable, with the goal of reducing workplace incidents across the Coastal Bend.

With nearly 700 students enrolled in safety training classes last year and the recent grant, the college expects even more to sign up.

With more than 20 years in the industry, assistant professor and OSHA program director Mark Sanchez understands firsthand the importance of safety training.

“We deal with a lot of mishaps, near-miss injuries and so forth. When we talk about the oil field there—you know how it’s booming right now—there can be a lot of fatalities and mishaps,” Sanchez said.

Now, with the grant, Dean Dan Korus said the school will continue providing safety training that makes a difference.

“As our region grows, safety mishaps become more prominent. Proper safety training prevents problems because some people may not have a safety culture or may cut corners. The training emphasizes that many accidents could have been prevented,” Korus said.

The training covers a range of fields—from construction and energy to food service.

“The students learn about trenching, scaffolding, confined spaces, fall protection, locks, PPE, and more. They go through a variety of hands-on training, in addition to classroom instruction,” Sanchez said.

And the best part, director Dara Betz said, is that the grant makes the programs affordable.

“With this low- to no-cost training, it’s offered to everybody. That’s the great thing about it—it really targets small businesses that might not have the budget for this type of training but desperately need it, as well as our underserved population,” Betz said.

These programs prepare hundreds of students, and Sanchez said enrollment is growing more than ever.

“In the last two semesters, I’ve seen a 30% increase in classes. Word is getting out about safety, what we teach, and some of the certifications we offer. When students have hands-on training, it’s something they can put on their resumes to make themselves more valuable,” Sanchez said.

Enrollment for the summer semester opens April 6.