Strengthen Your Dairy Workforce with WCMA’s Fall 2025 Trainings

Forward-thinking dairy processors can act now to make a strategic investment in employee development through the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association’s (WCMA) acclaimed Front-Line Leadership, Basic Safety Training for Dairy Processors, and Train the Safety Trainer series, returning this fall with flexible virtual and in-person options. Registration and sponsorship details for all courses are available now at WisCheeseMakers.org/Trainings. 

“High-quality, safe dairy products start with skilled, collaborative people,” said Rebekah Sweeney, WCMA Senior Director of Programs and Policy. “Our leadership trainings equip employees with the tools to grow professionally and contribute more meaningfully to their teams and operations. And whether your employees are veteran safety leaders or new hires on the production floor, WCMA’s safety courses keep them safe on the job, with industry-specific lessons in an accessible, engaging format." 

WCMA Front-Line Leadership 

Designed to meet the needs of both new and experienced supervisors, WCMA’s three-part Front-Line Leadership series builds essential skills in a practical, approachable format: 

• Part A: Essential Leadership Skills helps employees evaluate their strengths, identify growth opportunities, and set the foundation for effective leadership. 
• Part B: Boosting Staff Performance teaches techniques to motivate, engage, and elevate team performance. 
• Part C: Cultivating a Team empowers participants to foster a productive, collaborative workplace culture. 

WCMA member employees can join Front-Line Leadership virtually from anywhere in the world or in-person at WCMA’s offices in Madison, Wisconsin.  

Virtual Track: 

• September 16 – Part A 
• October 21 – Part B 
• November 19 – Part C 

In-Person Track: 

• September 17 – Part A 
• October 22 – Part B 
• November 20 – Part C 

Classes are affordably priced at $159 per person, per session for virtual attendees or $179 for in-person participants. Each session is available à la carte and may be taken in any order. 

WCMA Safety Trainings 

WCMA’s Basic Safety Training for Dairy Processors and Train the Safety Trainer classes are thoughtfully designed with input from WCMA's Health & Safety Group to help dairy processing employees stay safe at work and enhance their organization’s safety culture. 

Facilitated by experienced safety instructors from Chippewa Valley Technical College, both trainings feature a timely emphasis on emphasize training on 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 Regional Emphasis Program (OSHA REP) for food processors. 

Basic Safety Training for Dairy Processors teaches participants about their rights; employer responsibilities; and how to identify, abate, and avoid job-related hazards they may encounter. This course is taught in an interactive style, and features images, videos and illustrative examples from dairy processing plants or dairy industry suppliers. 

WCMA member employees can join WCMA’s Basic Safety Training virtually on Thursday, November 6, 2025. Registration for this course is just $179 per person, and just 24 spaces are available. 

Train the Safety Trainer 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. This interactive course covers best practices for design and delivery methods used by successful workforce safety trainers. 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. 

The next session of WCMA’s Train the Safety Trainer, exclusively sponsored by Nelson-Jameson, will take place Tuesday, September 9 at WCMA’s offices in Madison, Wisconsin. Registration is limited to 24 attendees, and costs $219 per person. 

Participants in WCMA's safety trainings will come away with new knowledge, industry connections, a packet of training materials, and a certificate of completion that can be retained as a record of instruction. 

Businesses looking to connect with dairy processors and show their support for continuing industry education can act now to take advantage of impactful training sponsorship opportunities. Benefits include reserved class seats, promotional visibility, and post-training attendee lists to engage with participants. Explore all training and sponsorship options today at WisCheeseMakers.org/Trainings.