Processes and Procedures

Topics Youth PQA Plus ® –Changes Trainer, Advisor and Youth Requirements Training Materials

Pork Quality Assurance ® Plus PQA ® –Voluntary educational program started in 1989 –Enhanced and released in 2007 as PQA Plus TM, 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 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 3 rd 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 Plus Mission 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: 1.Process 2.Content 3.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 & Certify Trainers Certify Advisors Certify Youth

Trainer Training 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 ) –Trainers can also function as Advisors National Pork Board State Trainer Training & Exam Train & Certify Trainers Update Advisor Records Train Advisors Certify Advisors Certify Youth

State Trainer Training 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 –Step 3 - Exam

State Trainer Training 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.

Advisor Training Requirements National Pork Board State Trainer Training & Exam Train & Certify Trainers Update Advisor Records Train Advisors Advisor Train Youth Training & Exam Update Youth Records Certify Advisors Certify Youth 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 )

Advisor Candidate 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

Advisor Candidate Process Potential Advisor candidates contact a designated State Trainer Application may be required

Advisor Training 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

Advisor Training 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

Advisor Training 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

Advisor Training Process When all three training steps are completed: –The candidate becomes a certified Youth PQA Plus Advisor –The National Pork Board electronically sends an 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.

Youth Training Requirements National Pork Board State Trainer Training & Exam Train & Certify Trainers Update Advisor Records Train Advisors Advisor Train Youth Training & Exam Update Youth Records Youth Annual Training Certify Advisors Certify Youth Ages 8-11 Training or Exam Ages 12-14, Youth –Beginners Attend annual training Ages 8-11 –Intermediate and Advanced Attend annual training or pass test-out examination Ages 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 Certification Age Levels Youth PQA Plus consists of 3 age levels: –Ages Beginner 1-year certification through training –Ages Intermediate 1-year certification through training Test-out by examination option –Ages Advanced 1-year certification through training Test-out by examination option

Youth Certification by 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 Certificate Expiration Age as of Jan 1 of Current Year Annual Class Test Out One year from Class date Not Applicable One year from Class date December 31 st of the year they turn One year from Class date One year from test date One year from Class date Three years from class date One year from Class date December 31 st of the year they turn One year from Class date One year from Class date

Youth Certification by 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 –Exams are graded by Advisors

Youth Certification Online Online Training module –Youth can access a log-in page on the National Pork Board website. under Youth PQA certification. –The online course will consist of an: Introductory section, Good Production Practices Activities, Exam (if of that age bracket).

Youth Certification Online 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 –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 & Certify Trainers Update Advisor Records Train Advisors Advisor Train Youth Training & Exam Update Youth Records Youth Annual Training Certify Advisors Certify Youth Ages 8-11 Training or Exam Ages 12-14, 15-19

Youth Training Content & 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 Training Content & 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: or by calling (800)

Training Materials Advisor –PowerPoint Files In-depth and Overview versions Activities –Forms and Documents Download at

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 –Downloadable Youth Manual Power Points –Hard copy Printed Youth Manual Printed Youth Guide Book with Disc –(800)

Password Protected Web site Password Protected Web site

Creating Youth Test-out Exams Test-out Exams – –Hard copy Exam Answer key –Choose age level Intermediate Advanced

Update Youth Records Updating Youth records –Individual training Updated by Advisor using Certification Search Page Reprint certificates

Youth PQA Plus Online Training Course Youth may access the Youth PQA Plus Online Training Course at 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 Center