It seems that people’s time is becoming increasingly valuable. Our team is acutely aware that the companies we serve seem to be doing more with less: less resources, less people, and with an ongoing wave of retirements, less widespread and institutional expertise. At the same time, the food industry continues to grow and develop. Food processing employees will continue to need training to generally operate, meet regulatory and audit requirements, and remain preferred places of employment.

With the above-mentioned limitations, it is more important than ever that employee training hits on the precise topics that are needed. We pride ourselves on building strong, long-term relationships with our industry partners to deliver best-in-class training to employees. Please reach out to us to create a training plan for 2023 and beyond. Below are several strategies we use to become your preferred training provider.

• Certificate Program: Our Dairy Foods Certificate Program is rounding out its 10-year anniversary and is the cornerstone of our programming. The certificate program is a great option for general employee training regardless of the type of dairy products that are made at a facility. It is also a fantastic tool for individual employee development and advancement. Courses are offered regularly, and many can be done on-site.
• Customized Training: While we have standard course offerings through our certificate program, some organizations need more curated content to fit their needs. We can use our existing programs as building blocks to make customized courses, or we can create something entirely new. In-person customized trainings are typically done on-site, but can also be offered on our campus. If a virtual platform is preferred, we can arrange for the content to be disseminated live, or through a self-paced virtual program. We ask that companies reach out to us with plenty of lead time for customized training so that we can develop the best content possible.
• Online or in–person: In this day in age, there doesn’t seem to be a one-size-fits-all approach to what works best. Online training has its clear efficiencies, but the in-person human connection can’t be totally replaced. Our team is willing to work with companies to find the right balance of online or in-person training to fit the needs of their culture.
• Onboarding training capabilities: There is plenty of literature stating that a strong onboarding system improves employee longevity and retention. While onboarding isn’t limited to food safety training, it is a key component of any food processing job. Our programs go into the “why” behind plant operations, and we have specific online programs that are ideal for required basic GMP and Food Safety Training.
• We get to know you: As trainers, there is a true benefit to knowing your audience and the environment your audience is working in. The more our team is able to interact with an organization, the deeper our understanding is, and that helps us curate the best content for the needs of those employees.
• The land-grant advantage: Cornell University is a land-grant institution, meaning that we are charged with advancing the lives and livelihoods of the state’s citizens through teaching, research and public service. As such, our Milk Quality Improvement Program and Food Safety Laboratory provide us with up-to-date, relevant research for industry, and our training team is able to take that knowledge and share it with industry through training. In turn, our extension team provides feedback to our researchers on the challenges that the industry is facing. This dynamic gives us and the companies we serve a key advantage. Companies are also able to take advantage of our laboratory services and consulting services, making us a one-stop shop for many of your food safety and quality needs.

Please reach out to lmf226@cornell.edu to schedule a consultation on any of your training needs.