For more than a decade, UC San Diego's Division of Extended Studies and the Guam Contractors Association (GCA) have worked together to bring specialized occupational safety training to an island where access to such training can be hard to come by.

The focus of the partnership is on having UC San Diego OSHA Training Institute Education Center instructors travel to Guam to deliver occupational safety courses tailored to the island’s workforce, and help local professionals become OSHA-authorized trainers themselves. 

"Our collaboration with UC San Diego has continued to grow and create a lot of valuable opportunities to strengthen our workforce development and safety training throughout our island," said GCA President Desiree Lizama, who has worked with the association for 16 years. "It's such a valuable partnership that we have with UC San Diego."

Now with additional support from a $950,000 Susan Harwood Training Grant, the program is expanding to bring additional training in warehouse safety and other high-priority topics directly to Guam.

For the GCA and workers on Guam, the grant-funded courses are more than a series of classes. They are a way to bring timely expertise to the people who need it, strengthen Guam's own training capacity and help ensure that the island's rapid growth does not come at the expense of worker safety.

A Construction Boom—and a Growing Need for Safety Professionals

The timing of the additional safety training could not be more critical. 

Right now, Guam is experiencing a major military buildup, fueling construction and infrastructure investment across the island. This creates new opportunities but also intensifies the demand for skilled workers and trained safety professionals. Lizama described the military buildup as an important boost to Guam's economy, but one that has exposed a shortage of trained safety professionals.

"Because of the buildup, we have a lot of work going on with construction, but we don't have all the professionals we need," Lizama said. "Our hurdle is really getting more trained safety professionals to make sure our workforce stays safe.”

Lizama shared that many safety professionals on the island are already working six days a week to keep up with demand. The volume of construction activity also leaves workers little time to attend important safety training. Guam's geographic isolation compounds the problem. Accessing a specialized mainland course can require airfare, lodging and days away from work—costs that many smaller employers can’t realistically absorb.

The Harwood grant changes that equation. Rather than sending individual workers thousands of miles in search of training, UC San Diego instructors are funded to make the trip instead. GCA can convene a room full of eligible participants to provide access to the training at no extra cost to them.

"The grant has enabled reduced travel costs, less time away from work and greater access to professional development," said Lizama. "Most importantly, more workers have the opportunity to participate because travel is not a barrier." 
 

Training Designed Around Guam's Needs

UC San Diego's current Susan Harwood Training Grant Program award initially emphasized warehouse safety, but the training plan was expanded to address other topics that are especially relevant to Guam's changing workforce, namely confined spaces, traffic control, excavation and trenching.

"These are really important classes for us," said Francine Taitague, GCA Education Director and Administrative Manager. "We don't really have the resources out here to get valuable training like that even though it's what our workforce desperately needs."

The demand is evident in enrollment. GCA can often fill a full slate of classes in less than two weeks. Employers on Guam regularly ask the GCA when UC San Diego instructors will return and whether training on a particular hazard will be available. The in-person model also gives UC San Diego instructors room to respond to circumstances on the ground. 

During a recent visit, four classes were scheduled, but the instructors added another session at a company's facility because the employer could not release its entire staff to attend elsewhere. That flexibility extended the grant's reach to workers who otherwise would have missed the training.

The buildup has also brought in workers from the Philippines and elsewhere, creating additional language barriers and differing cultural approaches to safety. It's made the consistency of training materials and shared safety expectations across companies, trades and languages all the more valuable.

From the Classroom to the Job Site

The value of a Harwood-funded course does not end when the class concludes and the instructor leaves. The ripple effect of their visit can last for years. 

"It's not just 'one-and-done,'" said Taitague. "Our safety officers see the training material as valuable information, and they refer back to it all the time."

On construction sites across Guam, crews often begin the workday with a "toolbox talk"—a short conversation about a hazard they may encounter that day. The information behind those talks often comes from a UC San Diego class held months or even years earlier.

Taitague also regularly hears from safety officers who continue using the printed materials long after the course has passed. Some safety officers even return to GCA seeking replacements after their manuals have become worn from use. Others visit the association's library when preparing refresher training for their crews.

"You'll see UC San Diego manuals everywhere," said Taitague.“I still have safety officers come up to me and ask, 'Hey Franny, do you have any extra manuals from two years ago? Mine's all beat up.'”

The 'toolbox talk' and continued use of UC San Diego manuals create a multiplier effect after each training. A safety and health officer who attends one grant-supported course can adapt the material for morning toolbox talks, reinforce it with new employees and revisit it as needed when a particular hazard appears. 

Lizama points to broader changes as well: workers becoming more proactive about identifying hazards, employers strengthening safety programs and companies applying more consistent standards across employees, contractors and subcontractors. "It reinforces best practices in safety, quality control and regulatory compliance," Lizama said. "This helps us build a stronger and safer workforce."

Building Safety Capacity—and a Lasting Partnership

For Taitague, bringing the courses to Guam also communicates something beyond the curriculum. Guam is a U.S. territory thousands of miles from the mainland. Both distance and cost can leave residents feeling disconnected from professional opportunities available elsewhere. Each grant-funded instructor visit represents an investment in Guam and the larger Mariana Islands community that's felt by the residents.

"It shows that we're not forgotten," said Taitague. "They value the work that we do here and see our safety as important."

The long-term goal is not simply to keep the Guam workforce dependent on visiting instructors. UC San Diego and the GCA are also working to expand local capacity by preparing professionals on Guam to teach OSHA courses themselves. To that end, GCA recently added a safety professional pathway to its apprenticeship program, incorporating training through UC San Diego.

The combination of grant-funded access now and local instructor development for the future allows the partnership to address immediate hazards while building infrastructure that can endure past a single grant award cycle.

"Our partnership with UC San Diego has been very instrumental in helping us fulfill our mission of providing high-quality safety education and developing a skilled workforce,” Lizama said. "I look forward to continuing our shared commitment to safety education and workforce development for many years to come."

Visit the UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies website to learn more about OSHA Training Institute Education Center and see the schedule of upcoming courses.