April 25, 2022- Prior to the start of the Texarkana College’s board meeting on Monday, representatives from Texas Mutual Insurance Company, the state’s leading provider of workers’ compensation insurance, presented a grant to TC for $100,000 to provide safety training courses that benefit community employers, students, and the general public. TC president, Dr. Jason Smith, said this is the sixth consecutive year Texas Mutual has supported TC’s safety training programs.
“We are so grateful for the continued support of Texas Mutual Insurance Company to fund the college’s workplace safety courses,” said Smith. “The courses are designed to equip workers with skills and knowledge that increase safety measures and reduce workplace injuries. This grant is a win for our entire community and builds a thriving regional workforce.”
Mendy Sharp, TC’s executive director of community and business education said since 2017, TC has been able to provide workforce safety training to hundreds of regional employees.
“This year, the Texas Mutual grant allowed TC to provide a monthly comprehensive forklift training course covering Class I, IV, and V trucks. The funds enabled TC to train around one hundred community members through the National Safety Council to be forklift certified,” said Sharp. “Additionally, TC was able to expand our partnerships with a variety of healthcare facilities during the pandemic to keep health care workers current with training requirements related to CPR/First Aid Training.”
Eric Bourquin, vice president of safety services at Texas Mutual, said investing in safety programs benefits the entire state.
“For more than two decades, we have proudly partnered with colleges across Texas in providing their local communities access to safety programs,” said Bourquin, “We know that a strong workforce is a safe one, and we are proud to continue investing in these programs on our journey to create a stronger, safer Texas.”
Over a 23-year period, Texas Mutual has awarded $11 million in safety education grants, and more than 35,000 students have attended free or discounted safety training offered at various colleges. Texarkana is one of eleven community colleges in Texas that provides safety classes via funding from Texas Mutual.
