The Northeast Center to Advance Food Safety (NECAFS) will support the delivery of educational programming as well as the development of trainers.
Support for Educational Programming
The Northeast Center to Advance Food Safety (NECAFS) will support the delivery of Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) Grower and Train-the-Trainer trainings, Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance (FSPCA) Preventive Controls for Human Food and Lead Instructor trainings, and Sprout Safety Alliance (SSA) Train-the-Trainer (TTT) Course or Sprouter Training + Train-the-Trainer (TTT) Combo Course through training team travel cost and program material reimbursement. We require that pre and post test evaluations be administered at all PSA grower trainings receiving financial support. Information on administering and reporting per and post test evaluations is directly below. We are offering up to $2000 reimbursement of the following per training that is offered:
- Location rental fee
- Trainer travel costs
- Mileage and tolls or related (flight, bus, rental car, train, taxi, uber, etc.)
- Hotel
- Meals
- Trainer stipend or salary (including fringe and benefits)
- Training manuals
- Training certificates
- Food for teaching team
- Food for training participants
- Printing (e.g. add-on or supplemental materials, agenda, etc. beyond the Training Manual)
Exceptions to this reimbursement cap will be considered on a case by case basis based on need, extenuating circumstances and potential benefit to historically hard to reach audiences. Please submit an application requesting support before your scheduled training course has occurred. After the course has been delivered, please submit the necessary request forms within 60 days of expense in order to be reimbursed. Timely submission of reimbursement materials is essential to ensure payment.
Pre and Post Test Evaluations
NECAFS requires that pre and post test evaluations be administered at all supported PSA Grower Training courses. All four regional centers are engaged in collecting pre and post test information related to the PSA training. These evaluations have been developed by the Southern Regional Center at University of Florida to enhance the measurement of learning among attendees of PSA Grower Trainings. One test is completed prior to the training and one is completed after. The evaluations are intended to be used nationally to provide a common measurement of change in knowledge as a result of the training program.
Everyone is welcome and encouraged to use this pre and post test evaluation and contribute to this national effort. Those receiving financial support from NECAFS for programming delivery are required to use, and report, their pre and post test data to NECAFS. If you decide to use the pre and post test in a non-NECAFS supported training, please still report your results to NECAFS for regional and national aggregation.
In order to administer and report pre and post test data, please take the following steps:
- Print the necessary copies of the pre test and post test.
- (Optional step) Index tests so that you can match pre and post tests by course participant. (This is not a required step, but if you would like to understand knowledge change on a participant level, we recommend indexing the tests. If you decide not to index, then the data will be summarized across the entire group, not by individuals.)
- Summarize test results on the
NECAFS PSA Pre-Post Evals Summary Sheet and email the completed form to necafs@uvm.edu. If you are receiving funding from NECAFS for programming delivery, please submit this form along with your reimbursement request information. - NECAFS will analyze the responses and return the form to you with summarized data for your use in reporting, grants, programming development, etc. We will also aggregate results into regional and national evaluation.
Support for Trainer Development
We are offering up to $2000 per person per training track on a rolling basis as reimbursement upon successful completion of:
1. The 2-day PSA Train-the-Trainer (TTT) Course and/or PSA Lead Trainer Supplemental Application process (PSA TTT is required for PSA Lead Trainer eligibility).
and/or
2. The FSPCA Qualified Individual (QI) in combination with the FSPCA Lead Instructor (LI) training. (FSPCA QI is required for FSPCA Lead Instructor eligibility).
and/or
3. The 3-day SSA Train-the-Trainer (TTT) Course or Sprouter Training + Train-the-Trainer (TTT) Combo Course. (SSA TTT is required for SSA Lead Instructor eligibility).
| Training Track | Trained as a Practitioner | Trained to Instruct Practitioners | Trained to Train Other Instructors of Practitioners |
| Produce Safety Rule Training Coordinated by the Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) | PSA Trained Grower | PSA Lead Trainer (LT, needed to run a training) & PSA Trainer | Trainer of Trainers (ToT) |
| Preventive Controls Rule Training Coordinated by the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance (FSPCA) | Qualified Individual (QI) | Lead Instructor (LI) | Trainer of Trainers (ToT) |
| Sprout Safety Rule Training Coordinated by the Sprout Safety Alliance (SSA) | SSA Trained Grower | SSA Lead Instructor (LI, needed to run a SSA sprouter training) | Trainer of Trainers (ToT) |
NECAFS will support one, two or all of these
Exceptions to this reimbursement cap will be considered on a case by case basis based on need, extenuating circumstances and potential benefit to historically hard to reach audiences. An individual can apply for funding support in three areas of training (PSA, FSPCA and SSA) if their role involves training in these areas.
Eligibility
- Actively engaged in FSMA Preventive Controls Rule, Produce Safety Rule or Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) related training and education in an academic, extension or other public sector organization or affiliate.
- In the case of FSPCA LI training, applicants must be approved by FSPCA to attend an LI training course.
- In the case of the PSA or SSA Train the Trainer training, there is no prequalification required.
Courses
- Preventive Controls - The FSPCA maintains a website with information on training requirements and a list of available QI courses and more information on becoming an LI: https://www.ifsh.iit.edu/fspca.
- Produce Safety - The PSA maintains a website with information on training requirements and a list of available courses and more information on becoming a PSA Trainer or PSA Lead Trainer: http://producesafetyalliance.cornell.edu/training.
- Sprout Safety - The SSA maintains a website with information on training requirements and a list of available courses and more information on becoming a SSA Lead Instructor: https://www.ifsh.iit.edu/ssa/resources/ssa-training.
Process
- Applications will be received and reviewed on a rolling basis.
- Applicant provides a letter of application following the format below to necafs@uvm.edu, Subject Line: FSMA PSA/FSPCA/SSA Training Support Stipend Program – {LAST NAME, FIRST NAME}
- NECAFS will review the application and provide notice of whether reimbursement is allocated or not.
- Applicant attends the courses and provide copies of certificates to document successful completion of PSA Train-the-Trainer Course and/or along with clear, itemized receipts using the Expense Report and Reimbursment Form (emailed as PDF’s to necafs@uvm.edu.)
- NECAFS will process your reimbursement following receipt of necessary documents and internal processing.
Letter of Applicant Format
- Please print on organizational letter head (“print to” or “save as” a PDF for emailing purposes).
- Letter should not exceed two pages.
- Provide your full name, title, address, phone number and email address.
- Provide a brief summary of your activities related to food safety training that justifies the reimbursement.
- If you have a specific circumstance that may justify a reimbursement allocation above the $2000 cap, please explain the rationale including a statement summarizing the potential impact from NECAFS support.
- Indicate which PSA Grower / Train-the-Trainer / Lead Trainer Course, FSPCA Qualified Individual / Lead Instructor trainings or SSA course you plan to attend or deliver, including the date, location and a budget estimate for registration and travel (itemized by expense type and training component).
Obligations
- Applicants who are supported through the NECAFS Training Support Program are requested to provide NECAFS a short, annual summary of PSA, FSPCA and/or SSA training events they conduct including attendance, available summary evaluation data, photos of courses and any testimonial impact or meaningful change that occurred among the cohort.
Download the PDF version of Support for Educational Programming
Support for Educational Programming
Download the PDF version of Support for Trainer Development
