A new training course, ‘Principles of Food Safety in Dairy Pasteurisation’, developed by DWC Food Tech and launched on 8 April, will fill a key training gap in the dairy sector.
The development of this course resulted from the 2019-2020 project undertaken by Dairysafe that critically reviewed training gaps and options for SA dairy processors and identified there was no readily available option for training in dairy pasteuriseration.
“Pasteurisation is the single most important critical control step in dairy processing and having a training option for dairy processors is essential to ensure dairy businesses have and maintain appropriate skills and knowledge,” said Geoff Raven, CEO of Dairysafe.
The newly developed course has been designed to provide an introduction to the theories underpinning the concepts of milk pasteurisation and the critical components of its production. It covers food microbiology, processing plant equipment, cleaning and decontamination, and HACCP in dairy pasteurisation.
The course uses an online training platform and is tailored to meet the demands of those working in industry.
The total time to complete the course is approximately 10 hours and includes a formal assessment and a certificate upon successful completion (>80% result achieved). It can be started and stopped at any time over a 14 day period.
The training modules are similar to a PowerPoint presentation, whereby the user progresses through the slides. Each slide contains written information and a pre-recorded voice over, thereby providing the same content as face-to-face training. Pictures, illustrations and videos are also incorporated.
Those completing the course are supported by a detailed course reference manual (hard copy) included in the course fee.
“The course is designed for operators and supervisors, however, is also well suited for those in management, production, quality, technical and maintenance who wish to have a better understanding of the pasteurisation process of milk, and/or use in other dairy products,” Geoff said.
Australian dairy food safety regulators acknowledge that completion of this course can be used to supplement or assist with the demonstration of the skills and knowledge required by clause 3 of Standard 3.2.2 of the Food Standards Code.
Dairysafe is encouraging as many dairy processors as possible to have their key staff become suitably trained with the skills and knowledge of the pasteurisation process and is offering a $250 subsidy for each accredited business that achieves successful completion of the course – a single subsidy (1 staff x $250) is available for a small business with less than 10 staff, and a multiple subsidy (2 staff x $250) is available for a business with greater than 10 staff.
The subsidy will remain available for 1 year (until March 31, 2022) and will be provided on evidence of successful course certification.
For more information, click here: https://dwcfoodtech.com.au/training/principles-of-food-safety-in-dairy-pasteurisation/
