Dairy Processing - May/June 2024 - 76

ASSOCIATION INSIGHTS
Training
for the
T
future
by Kimberlee (KJ) Burrington | American Dairy Products Institute
raining occurs throughout life, and much of our
formal training and education starts with school. An
education, whether it is from a technical school or a
university, is often the launching pad for a first job or even a
career.
Once in the workforce, on-the-job training is essential
to the growth and success of the organization. Training is
beneficial to both employers and employees, as it leads to
more productivity, better morale and promotion opportunities
for employees. In the long run, training improves the
employee's ability to adopt new technologies and methods,
which will help the company to remain competitive in
the market.
Companies use training as an investment in their
employees for these reasons. Training provides knowledgebased
information and professional development for current
and future employees of the dairy industry. Many dairy
companies have internal training courses to provide these
benefits to employees, but the United States has many
other training opportunities across the country to expand
the knowledge base on all things dairy and help manage
future challenges in the dairy industry.
SHORT COURSES
Established dairy training courses, typically called short
courses, have been organized by universities and made
available to industry participants for more than 100 years.
The first dairy short course was established in 1890 at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison. Since then, more than
13,000 participants have been trained in different dairy
76 MAY-JUN 2024 | DAIRYPROCESSING.COM
manufacturing short courses at UW-Madison.
In 1987, US dairy farmers agreed to provide funding through
the dairy checkoff program, managed by Dairy Management
Inc. (DMI), to support six dairy research centers across the
country. These six regional dairy centers support more than
138 experts from 20 different universities. The six centers are:
Center for Dairy Research, Midwest Dairy Center, Western
Dairy Center, Northeast Dairy Foods Research Center,
Southeast Dairy Foods Research Center and the California
Dairy Innovation Center. Each Center has its own areas of
expertise and list of short courses, which are a great way
for new and experienced employees to learn about different
cheese varieties, cultured products, dairy ingredients, ice
cream, butter, safety, quality and more.
You might think that these courses are only taught by
academics that have never had any industry experience,
but that is not the case. Most of these short courses use
a combination of faculty and industry experts to provide
instruction and a hands-on, deep dive into the manufacture of
dairy products on a small scale. Not only do participants learn
about current technologies used in the dairy industry, but also
new research that each of these centers is conducting.
Exposure to new research helps companies fuel their
own innovation without having to conduct the research on
their own. Long term, this research helps to keep the US
dairy industry stronger and more competitive. Not only will
dairy companies gain the opportunity to commercialize
the research, but they also have the possibility to hire the
students conducting the research, who have specialized
training and knowledge.
Kimberlee (KJ) Burrington, vice president of technical
development, American Dairy Products Institute
Learning the right skill sets is critical for the dairy industry's next generation.
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Dairy Processing - May/June 2024

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