Youth Pork Quality
Assurance PlusTM
Processes and Procedures
Topics
• Youth PQA® & Youth PQA Plus™
– Changes
• Trainer, Advisor and Youth Requirements
• Training Materials
• PQA Plus™ Web site
Youth PQA®
and
Youth PQA PlusTM
Pork Quality Assurance®
• PQA®
– Voluntary educational program started in 1989
– Enhanced and released in 2007 as PQA PlusTM,
it helps to:
 Prevent violative drug residues
 Increase food safety awareness
 Increase awareness of proper animal care
• Ten Good Production Practices (GPPs)
Pork Quality Assurance®
• PQA® - A model for success
– Many packers require PQA certification
– Violative residue levels at harvest have declined
– 2006 was the 15th consecutive year of increased
pork exports
Pork Quality Assurance PlusTM
• PQA Plus
– Collaborative effort to address food chain issues
 Animal Welfare Coalition
– Demonstrate to customers that the Pork Industry
is “doing the right thing”
– Three elements
 Producer Certification through education
 Site Status through site assessment
 Opportunity for audit designed for program
credibility
Youth PQA® & Youth PQA PlusTM
• 2000 - Youth curriculum available
• 2003 - Youth PQA® released
• 2007 - Youth PQA PlusTM released
Youth PQA® & Youth PQA PlusTM
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
Youth PQA Plus & 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 (formerly Coordinators)
2. Advisors (formerly Educators)
3. Youth
Three training steps:
1. Content
2. Process
3. Exam
Training Requirements
• National Pork Board
– Manage Trainers
through the certification
process
– Train State Trainers
National Pork Board
Train & Certify
Trainers
Certify
Advisors
– Administer and grade
Trainer exams
– Issue Certifications
 Trainer
 Advisor
 Youth
Certify
Youth
Trainer
Training Requirements
• State Trainer
– Manage Advisor through
the certification process
National Pork Board
Train & Certify
Trainers
– Train Advisors
– Administer and grade
Advisor exams
– Update Advisor records
following completion of
training and/or exam
(using PQA Plus website)
– Trainers can also
function as Advisors
Training
& Exam
Update
Advisor
Records
State Trainer
Train
Advisors
Certify
Advisors
Certify
Youth
State Trainer
Training Process
•Youth PQA Plus State Trainers
must complete three steps to
become Certified:
– Step 1 - Content training
 Complete an on-line distance
learning module covering the Youth
PQA Plus program content,
specifically GPPs 1 - 10
– Step 2 - Process training
 Complete an on-line training
session on program processes and
requirements
– 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
• Advisor
– Assists Youth through
the certification process
National Pork Board
Train & Certify
Trainers
State Trainer
– Trains Youth
– Administers and grades
optional Youth test-out
exams (when available)
– Updates Youth records
following completion of
training or an exam
(using PQA Plus Web
site)
Update
Advisor
Records
Training
& Exam
Train
Advisors
Training
& Exam
Update
Youth
Records
Certify
Advisors
Advisor
Train
Youth
Certify
Youth
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 contacts 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 - Content training
 GPPs 1 – 10
– Step 2 - Process training
 Process and requirements
– 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 clicks the
appropriate “step” link, and is
automatically 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 the Advisor a Youth PQA Plus
Advisor certificate
Following completion of all three steps,
please allow ten business days for
notification of Youth PQA Plus Advisor
certification.
Youth
Training Requirements
• Youth
– Beginners
National Pork Board
Train & Certify
Trainers
Attend annual training
Ages 8-11
– Intermediate and
Advanced
Attend annual training
or pass test-out
examination
Ages 12-14
Ages 15-18
Update
Advisor
Records
Training
& Exam
State Trainer
Train
Advisors
Update
Youth
Records
Training
& Exam
Certify
Advisors
Advisor
Train
Youth
Annual
Training
Training
or
Exam
Ages
8-11
Ages
12-14, 15-18
Youth
Certify
Youth
Youth Qualifications
• The Youth PQA Plus Program is for
youth 8-18 years of age
• Individuals 19 years of age or older
must utilize the adult PQA Plus
education program to become
certified
• 18 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 8-11 - Beginner
1-year certification through training
–Ages 12-14 - Intermediate
1-year certification through training
Test-out by examination option
–Ages 15-18 - 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 an
examination appropriate for their age
level (must score 70% or greater to
pass)
– Valid until they enter the next age
level
– Valid for a minimum of one year
Certificate
Expiration
Age as of
Jan 1 of
Current
Year
Annual
Class
Test
Out
8 - 11
One year from
Class/entry date
Not Applicable
12 -13
One year from
class/entry date
December 31st of the
year they turn 15
14
One year from
class/entry date
One year from
test/entry date
15 - 17
One year from
class/entry date
December 31st of year
they turn 19
18
One year from
class/entry date
One year from
test/entry 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 the passwordprotected Youth PQA Plus Web site
– Exams are graded by Advisors
 Only hard-copy exams are available
Volunteers
• 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
Train & Certify
Trainers
Update
Advisor
Records
Training
& Exam
State Trainer
Train
Advisors
Update
Youth
Records
Training
& Exam
Certify
Advisors
Advisor
Train
Youth
Annual
Training
Training
or
Exam
Ages
8-11
Ages
12-14, 15-18
Youth
Certify
Youth
Youth Training
Content & Materials
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
• A minimum of 3 GPPs covered
in-depth annually
– Key Learning Objectives reviewed
• Minimum of one hour
• Individual and group activities
Additional supplemental materials are
available from the National Pork Board
at: www.pork.org or by calling
(800)456-PORK (7675)
Training Materials
•Advisor CD
– Advisor’s Guide
 Printable PDF files
– PowerPoint Files
 In-depth and Overview versions
– Forms and Documents
•Download or order on CD
–http://pqaplus.pork.org
–(800)456-PORK (7675)
Training Materials
•Youth Manual
–Printed, bound copy
–Downloadable PDF





Lesson Objectives
Key Lesson Terms
Lesson Content
Review Questions
Individual Activities
Training Materials
•Ordering materials
–http://pqaplus.pork.org
–Downloadable
 Youth Manual
 Advisor Guide
–Hard copy
 Advisor Guide CD
 Printed Youth Manual
–(800) 456-PORK (7675)
Download materials
• Advisor Guide
• PDFs
• PowerPoints
• Youth Manual
Hard copy materials
• Advisor Guide CD
• Printed Youth Manual
Password Protected
Web site
http://pqaplus.pork.org
Creating Youth Test-out Exams
•Test-out Exams
– http://pqaplus.pork.org
– Hard copy
 Exam
 Answer key
– Choose age level
 Intermediate
 Advanced
Update Youth Records
•Updating Youth records
– Individual training
 Updated by Advisor using
PQA Plus Web site
•Reprint certificates
Name:
Date:
Update Youth
Training Records
Class
Test-out
Submit
Marge Smith
Program Rollout
•PQA Plus
– Available June 7th, 2007
– PQA Level III & SWAP sunset
•Youth PQA Plus
– Available June 7th, 2007
– Youth PQA available through June 2008
– June 2008 only Youth PQA Plus available
Youth Pork Quality Assurance Plus
Thank You!
Questions?
Please call the
Pork Checkoff Service Center
At: 800-456-PORK (7675)