Though rivals on the basketball court, Barton Community College and Hutchinson Community College have formed an alliance in education that will bring occupational safety training to central Kansas, BCC officials announced last week.
Barton recently earned the designation as an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Training Institute Education Center. HCC has agreed to serve as a host site.
BCC officials said Barton is enlisting help from select colleges and universities as part of the college’s goal to provide OSHA training statewide and beyond, making OSHA training more accessible to more areas.
HCC was the first to recognize the value of such an arrangement, and the first courses were taught this past week.
“We have been interested in expanding the services offered by the HCC Safety Academy, and we thought this was a great opportunity,” said Dave Mullins, Director of the HCC Business and Industry Institute. “We’re excited about the opportunity to collaborate with Barton on this. Hutchinson Community College is all about collaboration and access, and it really fit with our mission, so we’re excited.”
Barton’s OSHA Program Coordinator Jason Eaves said it will be good for Hutchinson and the surrounding area, including organizations in Wichita. But, this is only the beginning for Barton’s offerings. With accessibility as the primary goal, Eaves said it’s going to be a huge benefit for local economies across the service area, which includes Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri.
“It’s great for biz and industry,” Eaves said. “They get a chance to receive training without going out of state or the region and maintain worker safety, which increases productivity and morale and the bottom dollar.”
For more information about Barton’s OSHA training offerings, visit BartonSafety.com.