Processes and Procedures

Topics

• Youth PQA Plus® – Changes

• Trainer, Advisor and Youth Requirements• Training Materials• www.pork.org

Pork Quality Assurance ® Plus

• PQA®

– Voluntary educational program started in 1989

– Enhanced and released in 2007 as PQA PlusTM, it helps to:

• Prevent violative drug residues• Increase food safety awareness• Increase awareness of proper animal care

– PQA Plus ® is an educational program revised every three years, latest release in June 2013. Focus areas include:

• Food Safety • Animal well-being• Inter-linking the We Care Principles • Adding in Environment and Worker Safety

• Ten Good Production Practices (GPPs)

Pork Quality Assurance ® Plus

• PQA Plus

– Demonstrate to customers that the Pork Industry is “doing the right thing”

– Three elements• Producer Certification through education• Site Status through site assessment• 3rd Party Site Verifications designed for

program credibility

Youth PQA Plus®

Two main elements:– Food Safety

Practices that minimize:– Physical, Chemical, and Biological Hazards

– Animal Well-being Includes proper:

– Housing, management, nutrition, disease prevention and treatment, responsible care, humane handling, humane and timely euthanasia

6

• Ethical Principles:– Produce safe food– Protect and promote animal

well-being– Ensure practices to protect

public health– Safeguard natural resources– Provide a work environment

that is safe– Contribute to a better quality

of life in our communities

We Care:

Youth PQA Plus®

• Youth PQA Plus and PQA Plus– Parallel programs– Both have Trainers and Advisors– Both utilize the same 10 GPPs– Youth PQA Plus has no on-farm

assessment – Both programs are focused on

ensuring that pork is free from food safety hazards and that the pigs’ well-being is a factor as they are produced

Youth PQA PlusMission Statement

Mission Statement

Youth PQA Plus demonstrates the dedication of America’s youth pork producers and their Advisors to assuring consumers that they are purchasing pork that is safe, of high quality and produced in a responsible manner.

Trainer, Advisor and Youth Requirements

Training Requirements

Three individual audiences:

1. Trainers 2. Advisors 3. Youth

Three training steps:

4. Process5. Content6. Exam

Training Requirements

• National Pork Board

– Manage Trainers through the certification process

– Train State Trainers

– Administer and grade Trainer exams

– Assist with the online course

– Issue Certifications• Trainer - online• Advisor - online• Youth – print and mail

National Pork Board

Train & CertifyTrainers

CertifyAdvisors

CertifyYouth

TrainerTraining Requirements

• State Trainer– Manage Advisor

through the certification process

– Train Advisors

– Administer and grade Advisor exams

– Submit Advisor candidate’s names for online training course.

– Update Advisor records following completion of training and/or exam (using www.pork.org )

– Trainers can also function as Advisors

National Pork Board

State Trainer

Training& Exam

Train & CertifyTrainers

UpdateAdvisorRecords

TrainAdvisors

CertifyAdvisors

CertifyYouth

State TrainerTraining Process

•Youth PQA Plus State Trainers must complete three steps to become Certified:

– Step 1 - Process training• Complete a face-to-face or an on-line training session on program processes and requirements

– Step 2 - Content training• Complete a face-to-face or an on-line distance learning module covering the Youth PQA Plus program content, specifically GPPs 1 - 10

– Step 3 - Exam

State TrainerTraining Process

• Step 1 – Content• Step 2 – Process• Step 3 – Exam

– Complete and pass an on-line exam with a score of 90% or greater

• A Trainer candidate who passes the open-book exam within three attempts will be certified as a Youth PQA Plus State Trainer

• A Trainer candidate who fails the exam three times must complete the training in steps 1 and 2 again before attempting to pass the exam again

• Certification is valid for three years.

– Trainers must complete and pass an examination to recertify.

AdvisorTraining Requirements

National Pork Board

State Trainer

Training& Exam

Train & CertifyTrainers

UpdateAdvisorRecords

TrainAdvisors

Advisor

TrainYouth

Training& Exam

UpdateYouth

Records

CertifyAdvisors

CertifyYouth

• Advisor

– Assists Youth through the certification process

– Trains Youth• Face-to-face• Direct youth to online

course

– Administers and grades optional Youth test-out exams (when available)

– Updates Youth records following completion of training or an exam (using www.pork.org )

AdvisorCandidate Qualifications

• Youth PQA Plus Advisors must be one of the following:

– Veterinarian– Extension personnel– Secondary/post-secondary ag instructor

• Status before achieving Advisor Certification is “Advisor Candidate”

• Youth PQA Plus Advisors may only train and certify Youth

AdvisorCandidate Process

• Potential Advisor candidates contact a designated State Trainer

• Application may be required

AdvisorTraining Process

•Youth PQA Plus Advisor Candidates must complete three steps to become Certified:

– Step 1 - Process training• Process and requirements

– Step 2 - Content training• GPPs 1 – 10

– Step 3 - Exam

AdvisorTraining Process

• Step 1 - Content• Step 2 - Process• Step 3 – Exam

– Complete and pass an exam with a score of 90% or greater

• An Advisor candidate who fails the exam three times must complete the training in steps 1 and 2 again before additional attempts to pass the exam are allowed

• Certification is valid for three years.

– Advisors must complete step 1 and 2 training and pass an examination to recertify

AdvisorTraining Process

•Trainers may elect to utilize on-line Advisor training

– Advisor candidate logs into the PQA Plus website using the web link previously provided by Trainer

– Advisor candidate accesses the My Training page and is taken to the desired training or examination

• Steps 1 and 2 will be grayed-out but remain active after each is completed

AdvisorTraining Process

• When all three training steps are completed:

– The candidate becomes a certified Youth PQA Plus Advisor

– The National Pork Board electronically sends an email confirming successful completion

– Certified Youth PQA Plus Advisors are granted additional access to the password protected website where all the Youth PQA Plus training materials are located.

YouthTraining Requirements

National Pork Board

State Trainer

Training& Exam

Train & CertifyTrainers

UpdateAdvisorRecords

TrainAdvisors

Advisor

TrainYouth

Training& Exam

UpdateYouth

Records

Youth

AnnualTraining

CertifyAdvisors

CertifyYouth

Ages8-11

Trainingor

Exam

Ages12-14, 15-19

• Youth

– Beginners•Attend annual training•Ages 8-11

– Intermediate and Advanced•Attend annual training or pass test-out examination•Ages 12-14•Ages 15-19

Youth Qualifications

• The Youth PQA Plus Program is for youth 8-19 years of age

• Individuals 20 years of age or older must utilize the adult PQA Plus education program to become certified

• 19 year-olds may utilize Youth or Adult program

• Age is determined by the youth’s age on January 1 of the current year

• Youth less than 8 years of age cannot be certified in Youth PQA Plus, but are strongly encouraged to attend a Youth PQA Plus education class

Youth Qualifications

• Parents/guardians are encouraged to accompany their youth who are attending a Youth PQA Plus education class

• The parent or guardian cannot become certified at a Youth PQA Plus education class

– Adults must attend an adult PQA Plus education program to become certified

Youth CertificationAge Levels

• Youth PQA Plus consists of 3 age levels:

–Ages 8-11 - Beginner• 1-year certification through training

–Ages 12-14 - Intermediate• 1-year certification through training• Test-out by examination option

–Ages 15-19 - Advanced• 1-year certification through training• Test-out by examination option

Youth Certificationby Examination

• Certification/Recertification by Examination:

– Not available for 8-11 age level – Completing and passing a

closed book examination appropriate for their age level (must score 70% or greater to pass)

– Valid until they enter the next age level or a maximum of 3 years

– Valid for a minimum of one year

CertificateExpiration

Age as ofJan 1 ofCurrent

Year

AnnualClass

TestOut

8 - 11 One year from Class date Not Applicable

12 -13 One year from Class date

December 31st of theyear they turn 15

14 One year from Class date

One year fromtest date

15 - 16 One year from Class date

Three years from class date

17 - 18 One year from Class date

December 31st of the year they turn 20

19One year from

Class dateOne year from

Class date

Youth Certificationby Examination

• Test-out Exam– Closed-book exam– Three attempts are allowed to

pass a Youth PQA Plus exam• If three attempts yield

unsuccessful results, the youth must attend another Youth PQA Plus education class prior to additional attempts at passing the exam

• If the youth has attended a training session but fails the exam 3 times they will receive a one-year certification

– Official exams are available to Advisors through www.pork.org

– Exams are graded by Advisors

Youth CertificationOnline

• Online Training module– Youth can access a log-in page on the National

Pork Board website. www.pork.org under Youth PQA certification.

– The online course will consist of an:• Introductory section,• Good Production Practices Activities, • Exam (if of that age bracket).

Youth CertificationOnline

• Online Training module continues. – Beginners will have 10 GPP activities and upon

completion of all 10 activities, the youth members will then be granted a one year certification.

– Intermediate and Advanced youth members will have 27 activities representing the 10 GPP. Upon the completion of the 27 activities, the youth will then complete their age appropriate exam.

• If a youth member successfully passes their exam, then they will receive a three year certification or certified until they move to the next age division.

– There are some exceptions to the three year certification and some examples of that exception:

» If an youth member is 13 years of age, they will be certified until December of the year they turn 15.

» If a youth member is 18 years of age, their certification is good until December of the year they turn 20.

• If a youth member fails their exam, they will receive a one year certification.

Volunteers

• Volunteers– Assist with Youth PQA Plus

training– Must work through a certified

Youth PQA Plus Advisor– Cannot conduct Youth PQA Plus

training independently– Advisor must be present for

training and test-out exams– All certification submissions are

controlled and reported only through a Youth PQA Plus Advisor

Training Overview

National Pork Board

State Trainer

Training& Exam

Train & CertifyTrainers

UpdateAdvisorRecords

TrainAdvisors

Advisor

TrainYouth

Training& Exam

UpdateYouth

Records

Youth

AnnualTraining

CertifyAdvisors

CertifyYouth

Ages8-11

Trainingor

Exam

Ages12-14, 15-19

Youth TrainingContent & Materials

Youth TrainingContent & Materials

Youth PQA Plus content and materials, or accredited content and materials from a National Pork Board-approved state quality assurance program, must be used to train youth for certification in Youth PQA Plus.

Youth TrainingContent & Materials

• All 10 GPPS reviewed annually

• Face-to-face Training – A minimum of 3 GPPs covered

in-depth annually• Key Learning Objectives reviewed

– Minimum of one hour– Individual and group activities

• Online training Course– Complete the introduction, the

activities and the exam (intermediate and advanced age groups)

Additional supplemental materials are available from the National Pork Board at: www.pork.org or by calling(800)456-7675

Training Materials

•Advisor

–PowerPoint Files• In-depth and Overview versions• Activities

–Forms and Documents

•Download at www.pork.org

Training Materials

•Youth Manual–Printed, bound copy

• Youth Guide and Learning Disc

–Printed, bound copy–CD contains the full manual

and the power point.

• Downloadable PDF• Key Lesson Objectives

Training Materials

•Ordering materials

– Pork Store link from www.pork.org

–Downloadable • Youth Manual• Power Points

–Hard copy• Printed Youth

Manual• Printed Youth

Guide Book with Disc

–(800) 456-7675

Password ProtectedWeb site

www.pork.org

Creating Youth Test-out Exams

•Test-out Exams– www.pork.org/login– Hard copy

• Exam• Answer key

– Choose age level• Intermediate• Advanced

Update Youth Records

•Updating Youth records– Individual training

• Updated by Advisor using www.pork.org

• Certification Search Page

•Reprint certificates

Youth PQA Plus Online Training Course

•Youth may access the Youth PQA Plus Online Training Course at www.pork.org under youth certification•The youth member or their parent will complete the sign in section and then be granted access to their online course. •The online course will consist of an introduction to Youth PQA Plus and then there will be activities for all 10 Good Production Practices (GPP).

–Beginner age groups will go through the Introduction and then 10 GPP activities and be granted a one year certification. –Intermediate and Advanced age groups will go through the Introduction and then 27 gaming activities and take an age appropriate exam.

•If a youth member passes one of three attempts to complete the exam, they will be granted a 3 year certification or a certification until they age out of that age division. •If a member fails the 3 attempts to complete the age appropriate exam they will be granted a one year certification.

Youth Pork Quality Assurance Plus

Thank You!

Questions?Please call the

Pork Checkoff Service Center800-456-7675