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Workshop Issue 3: Strategies and Best Practices
for Delivering Programs |
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- Workshop Chairman: Dr. Javier Trujillo Arriaga, Director
General of SENASICA, Department of Agriculture, Mexico
- Workshop Co-Chair: Dr. Karen Hulebak, Food Safety and Inspection
Service, USDA
- Workshop Co-Chair: Dr. William James, Food Safety and Inspection
Service, USDA
Discussion:
- The FSIA should examine whether there
are existing food safety and security
programs which might serve as models for
the FSIA.
- Workshop discussion focused on
program delivery options.
- Video-conferencing as a means of
program delivery was embraced by
the workshop participants as highly
effective, available for broad
audiences and technically superior;
however, the technology may not be
widely available, the technology
itself presents difficulties due to
time and translation delays and
limited interaction would
necessarily be entailed when
utilized with large audiences.
- Internet/web-based programs
were credited by the workshop
participants with being
relatively inexpensive, available
on an ad-hoc basis and also of
high technical quality; however,
most regard the tool as
relatively less effective than
other means with the potential
for technological difficulties.
- Differing legal standards of
regions and countries present
difficulties. For example, if a
particular country does not
require Hazard Analysis, Critical
Control Point (HACCP) systems,
the efficacy of teaching HACCP is
therefore questioned.
- Training adults presents unique
challenges.
Recommendations:
- FSIA must explicitly state its capabilities and
limitations and must manage expectations.
- Once the FSIA mission and capabilities have been
established and clarified, it is important that such is
readily understood throughout the Hemisphere.
- The potential success of the FSIA could be undermined if
expectations, especially in its formative stages, are
unrealistic.
- Utilize already-gathered audiences for training
and educational opportunities.
- Industry meetings, trade organization meetings and meetings
of governmental organizations present the opportunity to reach
broad audiences already assembled.
- This is a useful opportunity for training and education and
is also an opportunity to educate audiences on the FSIA and
its capabilities.
- Utilize existing and develop new training modules
available for broad dissemination.
- Such modules should be easily-accessible and available on an
ad-hoc basis.
- The FSIA should be expanded to cover all parties to and
aspects of the farm-to-fork continuum.
- While the current focus is on the processing stage, a
successful outcome hinges on a holistic approach to education
and information.
- Focus on training the trainer.
- By training individuals or groups who will, in turn, train
others, a maximization of training outreach is realized.
- It must be ensured that the trainers are qualified and
capable of training others.
- Standardization of academic programs is essential to ensure
that the trainers are properly trained.
- Identify and review existing studies related to
educating adults.
- As noted, educating adults presents challenges different
than educating children. A number of studies in this area
exist which the FSIA should consult in contemplating its
program delivery options.
- FSIA should serve as a clearinghouse and accrediting
body for training materials and programs.
- While a wealth of educational materials have been published
on the issues of food safety and bio-security, there is no
central accrediting body that covers these materials and
ensures accuracy and aptitude. The FSIA could serve as such a
body.
- Create a central database of educational materials
electronically accessible.
- Such a database can contain a variety of educational
materials such as lectures, articles, video-conferences which
students can access via the internet.
- Training modules, such as those mentioned above, should be
included.
- Existing successful education programs should be
tapped.
- A number of existing education programs in the Hemisphere
have proven successful.
- FSIA should draw on the experiences of such programs in
creating its own.
- Links to universities must be emphasized.
- Ensure the inclusion of Latin American universities to
maximize educational outreach.
- FSIA should create a methodology for pre-auditing.
- The methodology should be based on existing CODEX standards.
- FSIA would not become involved in conducting pre-auditing;
however, organizations such as INPPAZ, PAHO and/or IICA may.
- Evaluations of FSIA programs must be ongoing.
- FSIA should draw on existing, quantifiably successful
evaluation techniques and processes in generating a means of
program evaluation.
- Impact on international equivalency should be a key
consideration in program evaluation.
- FSIA’s initial priority should be to focus on
academic and certification programs simultaneously.
- Ultimately, FSIA should strive to achieve
hemispheric equivalence.
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