Performing Department
Center for Resilient Communiti
Non Technical Summary
This innovative educational project enhances the sustainability of West Virginia's agricultural sector by strengthening existing workforce development programs at Pierpont Community & Technical College and Sprouting Farms' Greenville Farm Kitchen. This 4 pronged approach engages Faculty and Students at Pierpont to complete; 1)online educational modules via Community Food Systems LINK developed by the West Virginia University Center for Resilient Communities (a) mapping food system assets, (b) local food procurement (c) local food processing and the House Recipe program for shared use kitchens, 2) Better Process Control School (BPCS) online training (an FDA requirement for food manufacturing) 3)'Earn while you learn' internship in shared-use kitchens processing local foods, such as Sprouting Farms' Greenville Farm Kitchen and the House Recipe Program, and 4) Mentorship within the state Processing, Aggregation and Distribution Network (stakeholder working groups). This project refreshes workforce development curriculum to meet the needs of the 21st agricultural industry by integrating federal training programs and an immersive experience in the local food system that addresses a state gap in knowledge (BPCS and shared recipes/processes for acidified foods) and operators (trained food processors). Students engaged in this educational experience learn about preparing value-added-products and acidified foods for market, data tools, and are plugged into the network of shared-use kitchens in WV that are processing the House recipes as a "WV Grown" product. This self-sustaining program increases the production of acidified and value-added products via the House recipe program for shared-use kitchens, and profits are reinvested into this workforce-development program partnership.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
This education and workforce development program targets students enrolled in Pierpont Community & Technical College Food Service Management & Culinary program and engages them with workforce development programs in Local Food Hub Sprouting Farms1(Talcott, WV) and the Greenville Farm Kitchen in Greenville, WV2.This 4 pronged approach engages Faculty and Students at Pierpont to complete; 1)online educational modules via Community Food Systems LINK developed by the West Virginia University Center for Resilient Communities3(a) mapping food system assets, (b) local food procurement (c) local food processing and the HOUSE Recipe program for shared use kitchens, 2) Better Process Control School (BPCS) online training (an FDA requirement for food manufacturing)43)'Earn while you learn' internship in shared-use kitchens processing local foods, such as Sprouting Farms' Greenville Farm Kitchen and the HOUSE Recipe Program, and 4) Mentorship within the state Processing, Aggregation and Distribution (PAD) Network (stakeholder working groups). Participants will receive a certificate of completion from the West Virginia University Center for Resilient Communities. This project refreshes workforce development curriculum to meet the needs of the 21st agricultural industry by integrating state and federal training programs into an immersive experience in the local food system that addresses a state gap in knowledge (BPCS and shared recipes/processes for acidified foods) and operators (trained food processors).
Project Methods
This educational program has 3 distinct phases to guide program planning, program implementation, program evaluation & dissemination of results.Program Planningwill start on 12/1/2020 with the research teamto discussFaculty preparation and participant recruitmentstrategy.Faculty preparationwill start with orientation meetings on content and completion of "train the trainer" curriculum piece of Community Food System LINK Curriculum. Pierpont Faculty will complete the trainer module, in addition to the three related LINK modules. Pierpont Faculty will also initiate BPCS training themselves. Educational leaders in the research team will review the curriculum to identify reinforcement messages for Pierpont students to complete training, as part of program implementation and alignment with their AAS degree program.Participant Recruitment: Recruitment strategies will target Pierpont C&TC student organization CHOP: Culinary & Hospitality Occupations and Professions club and majors in Foodservice Management & Culinary Arts. The club will host guest speakers and partners from the field to promote and market the opportunity and answer questions. Up to four students will be recruited each year, for engagement in the program.Evaluation kick offmeeting coordinated by WVU, reviewing of evaluation goals, formative, process and impact evaluation frameworks, and coordinating partners including participants, the PAD network, WV Department of Agriculture, and the WV Farmers Market Association. There will be quarterly updates on the program as part of the PAD network calls, and year-end PAD summit.Program Implementationwill start on 1/02/2021, and will focus on two onlineStudent Education Requirements (Community Food System Link and BPCS),Summer Internship placement, and Evaluation.Students will be expected to complete theeducational requirementsbetween January- May of each year, in order to progress into the summer internship May-August. These requirements will be reinforced in their Pierpont C&TC program. The 3 Community Food System LINKonline modules will cover a)mapping food system assets, b)understanding local food procurement and Farm to Institution metrics, and c) local food processing rules and the HOUSE recipe program for shared-use kitchens. These modules take approximately 4 hours to complete. The BPCS training is divided into three sections, and takes approximately 50 hours to complete. Students must receive at least a 70% on the BPCS exam to successfully earn the certification. Students will have up to six months to take the course from the date of registration. They will receive course textbooks which highlight key aspects of each chapter and study guides.Summer Internship Placement: Students at Pierpont C&TC completing this training will be placed in a 10-12 week summer internship at Sprouting Farms and the Greenville Farm kitchen. They will receive housing/travel stipends and 'earn while they learn', working with shared-use kitchen food service managers who have already completed the Community Food Systems LINK Modules, Better Process Control School, and are producing recipes in the HOUSE Recipe program. They will gain a deeper understanding of how food is processed for the state's largest food hub, Sprouting Farms, and how local food is produced, aggregated, processed, and distributed across the state via the Turnrow Appalachian Farm Collective. They will also see, first-hand the importance of value-added products in strengthening community food systems and have opportunities to continue on working with partners.Evaluation:Evaluation efforts will be ongoing, and engage the project team, as well as external partners via the state's PAD network. Pierpont Faculty & students will be mentored and engaged with the state's PAD network, which meetsquarterlyfor conference calls and has an end of theyear summit,which showcases advancements in the network, new connections, and shared projects - such as the House Recipe program partners. This working group includes processors from across the state, in the public and private sector. Proceeds from the HOUSE recipe program are reinvested into the workforce development programs, allowing for sustainability and continuation of the shared use kitchen internship & mentoring program.c) Participant recruitment, selection and continued support.Participants for this educational project will be recruited from Pierpont's Culinary, Hospitality Occupations & Professions (CHOP) club, as well as courses related to the 2 year associate's degree.The Research