The Fine Food Australia exhibition will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from Monday 13^th – Thursday 16^th of September.

Register before 6 September 2010 for free entry, save $30.

From the Fine Food Australia website:

If you work in the retail, food service or hospitality industry, then you simply cannot afford to miss Fine Food Australia. It only takes one visit to discover hundreds of new ideas with food that could change the way you do business forever!

Fine Food has earned the reputation as Australia’s only truly international event for the food industry. This is the place to find the newest and best products and sevices on offer and stay abreast of what’s hot and happening in the industry.

Click here for more information or to register at the Fine Food Australia website.

All people involved with preparation of food for the commercial or retail market need a sound understanding of the food safety risks associated with their specific products and, importantly, how to control these risks. Failure to control food safety hazards can have devastating consequences for not only the consumer, but also the food manufacturer.

Make It Safe provides practical guidance on how to control food safety hazards, with a specific focus on controls suitable for small-scale businesses to implement.

Click here for more information or to order the book from the CSIRO Publishing website.

Certificate IV & Diploma in Food Science and Technology 2011

The NCDEA is now inviting expressions of interest for enrolments in the Certificate IV and Diploma of Food Science and Technology (Dairy) program for 2011. There is an opportunity to commence some study in 2010 for the 2011 program. This three year part-time course offers industry and students the opportunity to gain improved expertise and product specific operational skills; enhanced performance improvement capability in the industry and workplace competence in process operations. Study while on-the-job is supported by the Dairy Virtual Campus; student networks, podcasts and web-based seminars (webinars). Skills Recognition is available for this program. Potential students should enquire early.

Practical Cheese Making

This five day course runs from 27 September to 1 October 2010 offers a “hands on” approach to making cheese and is conducted in a pilot scale factory premises. Each participant will work in a team that will make a different cheese type each day under careful supervision, preparing starters, standardising and pasteurising milk, making many cheese styles – that may include clothbound rinded Cheddar, white mould cheese, washed rind, gourmet Fetta, Romano and Gouda. You’ll also learn the critical quality control points in the processes, basic trouble shooting techniques and much more. For more info: Practical Cheese Making

Traditional French Camembert

This two day short course will be held in November, conducted by the NCDEA’s cheese technician Janice Roberts and Carole Willman (owner/ operator of Cheeselinks, one of Australias’ most successful home cheesemaking ventures).  The program builds on Janice’s recent experiences from the European Dairy Technologist’s program held in Poligny France, supported by a TAFE Industry Skills Scheme scholarship.

Students will experience hands-on cheese-making of traditional French Camembert in the pilot scale dairy factory in Werribee.  The program includes time spent in class learning how different styles of cheese are made, how to match cheese and wine and of course tasting lots of delicious Australian mould ripened cheeses. As part of the course, students are provided with cheese-making recipes and a Camembert Cheese Kit supplied by Cheeselinks. Students will be able to take their cheese home for Christmas.

Further Information

Where companies require specific programs they should contact the NCDEA to discuss their needs. If you have specific training needs please contact Shirley Steward on 1300 0 NCDEA (1300 0 62332) or email ssteward@ncdea.edu.au. The NCDEA staff would be pleased to meet with staff and industry to discuss the programs and student enrolment.

Recent programs conducted by the NCDEA

National Foods Dairy Fundamentals Programs
NCDEA regularly conducts the National Foods Dairy Fundamentals program at Werribee with the most recent program held in June with 17 participants. This residential program is affectionately known as “Milk Uni” amongst previous graduates. The program includes Level 1 and Level 2 participants drawn from across many operational sites within National Foods and includes employees engaged in many different workplace roles including fitters and site managers. The participants gain insights into the operation of their company from supply of raw materials, processing operations, packaging and marketing of their products. It provides an opportunity for many to “get to know” others from within their workplace as they share meals, journeys and a tour of the Chelsea Heights (Vic) site and a working dairy farm.

Pasteuriser Operator courses

NCDEA trainers delivered this course in Darwin, Sydney, Wagga Wagga, Stanhope, Kiewa and Brisbane during the last quarter. This program is designed to provide pasteuriser operator staff with the skills and knowledge required to ensure that work is carried out in accordance with company policies and procedures, regulatory /licensing requirements and legislative requirements for the operation of pasteurisation equipment. It also provides staff with the knowledge and skills to make informed decisions and judgements with regard to pasteuriser operation within their areas of activity.

Dairy Technology for Maintenance Staff

This program was conducted on-site in May and was designed to develop knowledge and skills of employees within Maintenance departments with respect to milk product manufacturing, processing and procedures. Emphasis was placed on the impact of maintenance employee roles, on products and processes. It would be expected that participants in this course would be enabled to perform their daily workplace tasks with consideration to the product being manufactured and in compliance with quality and environmental requirements, appreciating where their role directly affects product and process quality, efficiency and commercial operations.

The NCDEA is able to tailor a course to your specific needs. If you would like to discuss how we can provide training for your needs please contact Bronwyn Turton on 1300 0 NCDEA (1300 0 62332).

Ice Cream Essentials short course

This course was presented from 16 to 18 August 2010 with the aim of providing participants with the theory and processing techniques of ice cream manufacture. The course was lead by Janice Roberts and Dr Alan Smyth, Managing Director, Dairy Concepts. Ice Cream Essentials

Cheese Sensory and Judging

This two day short course was held in April and conducted by the NCDEA’s Industry Consultant Russell Smith. This course provided students with practical instruction and participation in the learning the art of cheese judging and of sensory analysis techniques. This course was very popular and was fully booked well ahead of the start date. Further short courses will be conducted on the 19^th and 20^th of August in 2010. Cheese Sensory and Judging

For further information on any of these short courses and for registrations please phone Janice at the NCDEA on 1300 0 NCDEA (1300 0 62332).

New Food Industry Management course

The new Vocational Graduate Certificate in Food Industry Management commenced in June with 10 participants. The program is designed to develop depth and breadth in managers who have significant organisation responsibility for improvement in an area of dairy manufacturing or along the dairy production supply chain. More information

Click here to find more information on the NCDEA website.

From the ASCA website:

ASCA Cheesemaking Seminar Melbourne

Friday 13th August 2010
Cost $70 ASCA members

State Library Theatrette
Corner of Swanston and LaTrobe St in the city

This is a jointly organised ASCA and DIAA seminar focusing on getting together cheese makers and other interested parties and presenting a cheese specific one day program. Download the program details now and register early.

>> DOWNLOAD SEMINAR PROGRAM & REGISTRATION FORM

Mark this date in your diary now for the Melbourne Cheese Show!

Australian Specialist Cheesemakers’ Show Melbourne

Saturday, 21st August – Judging Day

Saturday, 21st August – Awards Dinner
(open to the public – bookings essential)
Sunday, 22nd August 2010 – Public Tasting Day

>> DOWNLOAD 2010 EXHIBITOR’S KIT

>> DOWNLOAD 2009 MELBOURNE RESULTS

Find out more information through the Australian Cheese website.

Education Minister, Simon Crean, today announced an expert panel has been established to advise the Government on reform options for the Australian Apprenticeships system.

The seven member Apprenticeships for the 21st Century Panel will be chaired by Mr Jim McDowell and includes industry and union representatives and academics.

The panel will examine training arrangements to improve outcomes for apprentices and industry. It will report to Government by the end of 2010.

Click here to read the entire press release on the DEEWR website.

From the Service Skills Australia newsletter:

The AQF Council has been undertaking a project to develop advice for MCTEE on strengthening the Australian Qualifications Framework to ensure it is nationally and internationally robust and supports flexible cross-sector linkages and pathways.

The project commenced in 2009 and following extensive research on stakeholder views and concerns, related academic literature and international practices, the AQF Council developed a proposal for a strengthened AQF. Stakeholders provided feedback on the proposal and the subsequent revised AQF based on a taxonomy of AQF qualifications that has a ten level structure; a classification of knowledge, skills and application (incorporating generic skills); and a notional duration of learning for each qualification type.

The AQF Council have now released a Consultation Paper for feedback by 4 August 2010.

Click here to download the paper [PDF: 1.52MB].

Click here to view the Australian Qualifications Framework website.

From 1 July 2010, major changes to the Food Act 1984 apply to Victoria’s 45,000 food businesses and community groups conducting food events.

The Food Act 1984 regulates the sale of food for human consumption in Victoria.

The amendments aim to better match the level of regulation with the risk inherent in premises’ food handling activities, and to strengthen the accountability of regulators.

Victoria’s food safety standards remain in place while simplifying food safety requirements for low-risk food premises.

The national Food Standards Code continues to apply and is not affected by changes to the Act.

Click here for more information on the Department of Health’s Food Safety website.

From AgriFood Skills Australia

The seminars are aimed at chief executives, managing directors and business owners and seek to provide detailed guidelines for ‘future proofing’ food processing businesses by making them more sustainable. In the coming years many Australian food processors can expect to face the challenges posed by:

• Large hikes in energy costs
• Access to an affordable water supply
• More regulation demanded by a carbon constrained economy
• More demanding and discerning ‘green consumers’
• Gaps in the right skills to deal with numerous challenges

To survive and compete in this environment business management must begin to think strategically, build relationships and activate the workplace to respond to these pressures. Sustainability is the key to the survival of business operations in the longer term – it is not just about diagnostics and technical ‘fixes’ and processes.

The Victorian seminar will be hosted by Cardinia Shire Council.
7am breakfast, 25 August 2010
Lakeview Room
Cardinia Cultural Centre
Lakeside Boulevard, Pakenham

Click here to view more information on the AgriFood Skills Australia website.

Click here to view the PDF flier [PDF: 142KB].

From the Conference webpage:

Some of the questions that will be debated at the Skilling Summit 2010:

• How do you effectively source new talent?
• What can you do to reduce any ‘brain drain’?
• What are you doing to compete with other potential employers for the best candidates?
• How do you plan to keep essential knowledge and experience within your organisation?
• What are you doing to prepare for a changing workforce demographic?
• What can you do to facilitate, and to benefit from, changing working lifestyle?

Click here for more information on the Summit and to register on the Conference website.

Did you know? The agrifood industry encompasses rural and related industries, food processing, meat, seafood and racing. These industries generate more than $200 billion a year and employ up to 880,000 people.

Click here for more information  and to register for the Fellowship on the ISS Institute website