Youth Pork Quality Assurance PlusTM

1

• Youth Pork Quality Assurance PlusTM
• Processes and Procedures

2
Topics

• Youth PQA Youth PQA Plus
• Changes
• Trainer, Advisor and Youth Requirements
• Training Materials
• PQA Plus Web site

3

• Youth PQA
• and
• Youth PQA PlusTM

4
Pork Quality Assurance

• 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
• Ten Good Production Practices (GPPs)

5
Pork Quality Assurance

• PQA - A model for success
• Many packers require PQA certification
• Violative residue levels at harvest have declined
• 2006 was the 15th consecutive year of increased
  pork exports

6
Pork Quality Assurance PlusTM

• PQA Plus
• Collaborative effort to address food chain issues
• Animal Welfare Coalition
• Demonstrate to customers that the Pork Industry
  is doing the right thing
• Three elements
• Producer Certification through education
• Site Status through site assessment
• Opportunity for audit designed for program
  credibility

7
Youth PQA Youth PQA PlusTM

• 2000 - Youth curriculum available
• 2003 - Youth PQA released
• 2007 - Youth PQA PlusTM released

8
Youth PQA Youth PQA PlusTM

• 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

9
Youth PQA Plus 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
  

10

• Youth PQA PlusMission Statement

11
Mission Statement

• Youth PQA Plus demonstrates the dedication of
  Americas 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.

12

• Trainer, Advisor and Youth Requirements

13
Training Requirements

• Three individual audiences
• Trainers (formerly Coordinators)
• Advisors (formerly Educators)
• Youth
• Three training steps
• Content
• Process
• Exam

14
Training Requirements
National Pork Board

• National Pork Board
• Manage Trainers through the certification process
• Train State Trainers
• Administer and grade Trainer exams
• Issue Certifications
• Trainer
• Advisor
• Youth

Train Certify Trainers
CertifyAdvisors
CertifyYouth
15
TrainerTraining Requirements
National Pork Board

• State Trainer
• Manage Advisor through the certification process
• Train Advisors
• Administer and grade Advisor exams
• Update Advisor records following completion of
  training and/or exam (using PQA Plus website)
• Trainers can also function as Advisors

Training Exam
Train Certify Trainers
Update AdvisorRecords
State Trainer
Train Advisors
CertifyAdvisors
CertifyYouth
16
State TrainerTraining Process

• Youth PQA Plus State Trainers must complete three
  steps to become Certified
• Step 1 - Content training
• Complete an on-line distance learning module
  covering the Youth PQA Plus program content,
  specifically GPPs 1 - 10
• Step 2 - Process training
• Complete an on-line training session on program
  processes and requirements
• Step 3 - Exam

17
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.

18
AdvisorTraining Requirements
National Pork Board

• Advisor
• Assists Youth through the certification process
• Trains Youth
• Administers and grades optional Youth test-out
  exams (when available)
• Updates Youth records following completion of
  training or an exam (using PQA Plus Web site)

Training Exam
Train Certify Trainers
Update AdvisorRecords
State Trainer
Train Advisors
Training Exam
UpdateYouthRecords
CertifyAdvisors
Advisor
Train Youth
CertifyYouth
19
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

20
AdvisorCandidate Process

• Potential Advisor contacts a designated State
  Trainer
• Application may be required

21
AdvisorTraining Process

• Youth PQA Plus Advisor Candidates must complete
  three steps to become Certified
• Step 1 - Content training
• GPPs 1 10
• Step 2 - Process training
• Process and requirements
• Step 3 - Exam

22
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

23
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 clicks the appropriate step
  link, and is automatically taken to the desired
  training or examination
• Steps 1 and 2 will be grayed-out but remain
  active after each is completed

24
AdvisorTraining Process

• When all three training steps are completed
• The candidate becomes a certified Youth PQA Plus
  Advisor
• The National Pork Board electronically sends the
  Advisor a Youth PQA Plus Advisor certificate
• Following completion of all three steps, please
  allow ten business days for notification of Youth
  PQA Plus Advisor certification.

25
YouthTraining Requirements
National Pork Board

• Youth
• Beginners
• Attend annual training
• Ages 8-11
• Intermediate and Advanced
• Attend annual training or pass test-out
  examination
• Ages 12-14
• Ages 15-18

Training Exam
Train Certify Trainers
Update AdvisorRecords
State Trainer
Train Advisors
Training Exam
UpdateYouthRecords
CertifyAdvisors
Advisor
Train Youth
AnnualTraining
CertifyYouth
TrainingorExam
Ages8-11
Ages12-14, 15-18
Youth
26
Youth Qualifications

• The Youth PQA Plus Program is for youth 8-18
  years of age
• Individuals 19 years of age or older must utilize
  the adult PQA Plus education program to become
  certified
• 18 year-olds may utilize Youth or Adult program
• Age is determined by the youths 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

27
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

28
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 15-18 - Advanced
• 1-year certification through training
• Test-out by examination option

29
Youth Certificationby Examination

• Certification/Recertification by Examination
• Not available for 8-11 age level
• Completing and passing an examination appropriate
  for their age level (must score 70 or greater to
  pass)
• Valid until they enter the next age level
• Valid for a minimum of one year

Certificate Expiration Certificate Expiration
Age as of Jan 1 of Current Year Annual Class Test Out
8 - 11 One year from Class/entry date Not Applicable
12 -13 One year from class/entry date December 31st of the year they turn 15
14 One year from class/entry date One year from test/entry date
15 - 17 One year from class/entry date December 31st of year they turn 19
18 One year from class/entry date One year from test/entry date
30
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
  the password-protected Youth PQA Plus Web site
• Exams are graded by Advisors
• Only hard-copy exams are available

31
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

32
Training Overview
National Pork Board
Training Exam
Train Certify Trainers
Update AdvisorRecords
State Trainer
Train Advisors
Training Exam
UpdateYouthRecords
CertifyAdvisors
Advisor
Train Youth
AnnualTraining
CertifyYouth
TrainingorExam
Ages8-11
Ages12-14, 15-18
Youth
33

• Youth TrainingContent Materials

34
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.

35
Youth TrainingContent Materials

• All 10 GPPS reviewed annually
• A minimum of 3 GPPs coveredin-depth annually
• Key Learning Objectives reviewed
• Minimum of one hour
• Individual and group activities
• Additional supplemental materials are available
  from the National Pork Board at www.pork.org or
  by calling(800)456-PORK (7675)

36
Training Materials

• Advisor CD
• Advisors Guide
• Printable PDF files
• PowerPoint Files
• In-depth and Overview versions
• Forms and Documents
• Download or order on CD
• http//pqaplus.pork.org
• (800)456-PORK (7675)

37
Training Materials

• Youth Manual
• Printed, bound copy
• Downloadable PDF
• Lesson Objectives
• Key Lesson Terms
• Lesson Content
• Review Questions
• Individual Activities

38
Training Materials

• Ordering materials
• http//pqaplus.pork.org
• Downloadable
• Youth Manual
• Advisor Guide
• Hard copy
• Advisor Guide CD
• Printed Youth Manual
• (800) 456-PORK (7675)

• Download materials
• Advisor Guide
• PDFs
• PowerPoints
• Youth Manual
• Hard copy materials
• Advisor Guide CD
• Printed Youth Manual

39

• Password ProtectedWeb site
• http//pqaplus.pork.org

40
Creating Youth Test-out Exams

• Test-out Exams
• http//pqaplus.pork.org
• Hard copy
• Exam
• Answer key
• Choose age level
• Intermediate
• Advanced

41
Update Youth Records

• Updating Youth records
• Individual training
• Updated by Advisor using PQA Plus Web site
• Reprint certificates

Name Marge Smith Date Class Test-out S
ubmit
Update Youth Training Records
42
Program Rollout

• PQA Plus
• Available June 7th, 2007
• PQA Level III SWAP sunset
• Youth PQA Plus
• Available June 7th, 2007
• Youth PQA available through June 2008
• June 2008 only Youth PQA Plus available

43
Youth Pork Quality Assurance Plus
Thank You! Questions? Please call the Pork
Checkoff Service Center At 800-456-PORK (7675)