Training Tips from a Pro
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The following tips are suggested for training adults in Food Safety:
- Adjusting attitudes in students means getting them emotionally involved in a subject which is often done best by reading news articles about the devastating effects of food-borne illnesses. When they can relate their job performance to the lives of real people (like themselves), they become much more aware of the importance of the topic and their responsibility.
- Skill building gives the students opportunities to participate in exercises that teach them how to handle food safely. A hand-washing workshop, for example, gives all students a chance to participate. when they wash their hands and check their success using special equipment (like Glo-Germ and a black light), so they can see if they have met the goal of the training. Calibrating a thermometer is another example, because they can actively participate in the action of checking to see how the thermomether responds to hot food as it cools.
- Knowledge building is the most scientific part of the learning process, when students develop an understanding of why their hygiene and food-handling practices are important. For example, hand washing can be seen as "impractical" for as many times as it is required, but showing a petry dish that has been incubating bacteria from an employee's non-washed hand, can have a very effective impact.
- Always remember: A program that is fun, interactive and simple is the most likely to have a long lasting, positive effect.
