The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has given the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture (NCTA) a $644,489 grant to assist staff training in the meat processing business. NCTA will establish a tailored curriculum in partnership with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Department of Animal Science and private industry specialists to equip existing and potential employees with the essential skills.
The effort provides hands-on training at NCTA's meat laboratory and the University of Nebraska's Loeffel Meat Laboratory, with the goal of providing a thorough awareness of career prospects in the meat processing business and enhancing the abilities of current employees. The Nebraska Association of Meat Processors will issue digital badges or certifications to participants.
Training materials will be accessible in both English and Spanish to ensure accessibility. The USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative's Competitive Grants Programme Education and Workforce Development Programme have both provided funding for the study.
The federal grant will finance curriculum development as well as stipends for trainees to cover associated expenditures.
NCTA and the Department of Animal Science are partnering to develop a well-designed program that enhances skills, improves retention, worker satisfaction, and safety for individuals with limited background knowledge. The collaborative effort will provide immersive, hands-on training for students.
In August of last year, NCTA met with University of Nebraska faculty and commercial sector officials to examine difficulties in the meat processing industry. The discussions highlighted training and retention issues, such as time and resource constraints, diverse employee knowledge, and inadequate training capacity in processing plants.
Priority skill needs, such as meat cutting, knife handling, safety, and hygienic animal handling, were determined as a result of these discussions. NCTA will provide short courses concentrating on these abilities, combining experiential learning components to improve training.
By providing baseline industry understanding and preliminary training in essential skills, NCTA aims to make the meat sector a more attractive career option for individuals who may not have considered it before. NCTA, the University of Nebraska, and private sector will work together to solve the industry's needs for employee onboarding, training, and retention.
The university's USDA-funded collaboration focuses on tailored training and research for the meat processing industry, addressing workforce requirements and promoting growth. This significant step towards addressing industry problems.
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Categories: Nebraska, Business