WCMA Trainings

Employee Safety Programming

WCMA Basic Training for Dairy Processors

Ensure your valued team members have the knowledge and skills needed to stay safe on the job!  Register them now for WCMA's new Basic Safety Training for Dairy Processors, offered either in-person or virtually throughout the year.  This class is for everyone working in the dairy processing industry - from the newcomer to the veteran, whether you need safety training for onboarding purposes or as a refresher.

Designed with input from WCMA's Health & Safety Group (HSG), this new course will teach participants about their rights, employer responsibilities, and - most importantly - how to identify, abate, and avoid job-related hazards they may encounter.  The curriculum concentrates on safety strategies related to machine guarding, lockout/tag out, prevention of slips, trips, and falls, chemical controls, and control of hazardous energy - the key focus areas of the Occupational Safety & Health Administration's ongoing Local Emphasis Program for food processors.

This course is taught in an interactive style, and all elements are industry-specific.  Images, videos and illustrative examples included in the training are pulled from dairy processing plants or dairy industry suppliers.

Participants will come away not only with new knowledge, but also with a packet of training materials and a certificate of completion from Chippewa Valley Technical College and WCMA, that they and their employer can retain as a record of quality instruction.

Here's a look at our upcoming offerings:

Click on the links above for additional information and to get signed up today!  Have questions?  Please contact WCMA Senior Director of Programs & Policy Rebekah Sweeney.

WCMA Train the Safety Trainer Course

Build your skills as a trainer and enhance your organization's safety culture by engaging in WCMA's Train the Safety Trainer program, offered either in-person or virtually twice per year.

Designed with input from WCMA's Health & Safety Group (HSG), this course is designed to equip the dairy processing industry's safety trainers with the knowledge, skills, and strategies to effectively communicate safety expectations and protocols for maximum compliance.  HSG members note the importance of this offering now, as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) continues its Local Emphasis Program (LEP) for food processors, following a troubling uptick in serious injuries in manufacturing plants.

This course is taught in an interactive style and covers best practices for design and delivery methods used by successful workforce safety trainers. While those attending should have a strong grasp on industry safety practices already, instructors will emphasize training around OSHA's LEP areas of concerns, including machine guarding, lockout/tag out, prevention of slips, trips, and falls, chemical controls, and control of hazardous energy.

Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to: 
  • Define training and facilitation in the workplace;
  • Conduct a training needs assessment;
  • Evaluate their training programs for clarity and efficacy;
  • Understand various presentation tools and methods;
  • Identify the characteristics of an exceptional trainer;
  • Discuss adult learning principles;
  • Handle environmental challenges and disruptive participants; and
  • Develop vocal, verbal and visual skills to conduct an effective training class.

Participants will also come away with a packet of training materials and a certificate of completion from Chippewa Valley Technical College and WCMA, that they and their employer can retain as a record of instruction.

Here's a look at our upcoming offerings:

Click on the links above for additional information and to get signed up today!  Have questions?  Please contact WCMA Senior Director of Programs & Policy Rebekah Sweeney.

Leadership Programming

WCMA Front-Line Leadership Trainings

WCMA's popular Front-Line Leadership Classes are designed for new and seasoned supervisors of focused teams, and will help build their skillset in the areas of conflict resolution, communication, stress and time management, and the cultivation of a team mentality.

Classes are offered à la carte, and may be taken in any order. Tuition is $135 per person, per course for virtual offerings, and $159 for in-person offerings.

Winter 2024

Front-Line Leadership courses in Winter 2024 are available virtually.

Front-Line Leadership: Virtual Tracks
Fall 2024

Front-Line Leadership courses in Fall 2024 are available virtually or in-person; please ensure you select your preferred track when registering!

Front-Line Leadership: Virtual Tracks
Front-Line Leadership: In-Person Track

Click on the links above for additional information and to get signed up today!  Have questions? Please contact WCMA Membership Director Sara Schmidt.

WCMA Advanced Leadership Series

The highly rated WCMA Advanced Leadership Series is designed for mid-level managers and employees transitioning to such positions. The series also features guest speakers from industry detailing their leadership successes and challenges, and requires participants to complete projects to implement and demonstrate their new knowledge. Enrollment is limited to 22 individuals, who participate in all sessions together as a cohort to better facilitate relationships. The cost for the entire series is $549 per participant.

Fall 2024/Winter 2025

WCMA's Advanced Leadership Series will be held in a virtual format, meaning that participants may join each interactive session live online, from anywhere in the world.  Note: A device with audio and visual capabilities is required for those participating in this series.

  • Part 1 on Tuesday, September 18, 2024  pushes participants to take initiative in driving change and generating positive results for their company.
  • Part 2 on Wednesday, November 20, 2024 focuses on the development and application of a creative and collaborative problem-solving process.
  • Part 3 on Wednesday, January 15, 2025  details the tools and strategies leaders can use to foster collaboration and resolve workplace conflict.

REGISTER NOW

Click on the button above for additional information and to get signed up today!  Have questions? Please contact WCMA Membership Director Sara Schmidt.

WCMA Next Step Leadership Course

Established leaders and graduates of WCMA’s Front-Line or Advanced Leadership training programs should take advantage of the Association’s unique Next Step Leadership course. Each year, this concise, virtual program offers established industry leaders an opportunity to reconnect with their peers, to refresh their skills, and to take a closer look at a key strategy for employee attraction and retention.

Spring 2024

Set for Thursday, May 23, 2024, this year's Next Step Leadership course will focus on diversity and inclusion strategies to build and strengthen teams. Session objectives include:

  • Exploring the complexity of diversity and inclusion changes
  • Understanding how our mind affects our actions
  • Defining best practices for leveraging diversity and fostering an inclusive workplace.
  • Learning about psychological safety and its importance to diversity and inclusion, and innovation

At just $135 per person, Next Step Leadership is a low-cost, but highly effective way to engage your team members in practical, productive conversations about important topics.

REGISTER NOW

Click on the button above for additional information and to get signed up today!  Have questions? Please contact WCMA Membership Director Sara Schmidt.

Cancellation, Substitution, & Transfer Policy for all WCMA Training Programs can be found here.