Now is the time to invest in your team. AFDO can help!
AFDO has a host of options for employees – from new to experienced – to fit every budget. There are offerings for you, too. Check out these training opportunities and pass them along to anyone you want to help succeed.
2023-2024 Training Offerings
Featured Training
Communications Skills for Government Regulators – Certificate Program
SEAT Limit: 21
About
These virtual classes are designed to impart knowledge that will change the participants’ behavior. Using polls, chat, and breakout rooms, the participants will employ their critical thinking skills. This course consists of five 90-minute sessions and will have activities and exercises, and participants must attend all five sessions.
Course objectives
- Practice communication techniques that they can apply immediately after the class
- Analyze case studies
- Solve problems
- Collaborate with other government regulators
Download printable agenda here
Who should attend
Inspectors, investigators, and supervisors in boots-on-the-ground positions
Course Dates
- October 20, 2023 12:00 – 1:30 EST – Talking to Decision Makers: What to Say and How to Say It
- November 17, 2023 12:00 – 1:30 EST – Thinking on Your Feet: How to Shine Under Pressure
- January 19, 2024 12:00 – 1:30 EST – Strategies in Meetings: Achieving Your Objectives
- February 16, 2024 12:00 – 1:30 EST – Essential Writing Skills for Government Regulators
- March 22, 2024 12:00 – 1:30 EST – Dangerous Documents: Avoiding Land Mines in Your Records and Emails
LOCATION
- Virtual
Cost
Free
Basic Inspections and Investigations Course for New Manufactured and Retail Regulators
course Length: 25 hours | Seat limit: 18
This course provides basic and fundamental learning opportunities for new food regulators who have responsibilities for conducting routine and non-routine inspections, conducting investigations, and collecting product samples for analysis by a laboratory.
About
This hands-on training will benefit those who have learned from ORA LearnED web-based training courses and will include live activities and exercises in a virtual setting. Topics will include a review of the basics of conducting an inspection including equipment and tools, conducting the opening, and closing interviews, observation skills, and preparing a defensible report. A brief overview of investigations and sampling techniques is covered.
If your organization would prefer a train-the-trainer level course for this learning opportunity, please contact afdo@afdo.org. If your jurisdiction would like this delivered in person to your organization, that can also be arranged.
Download printable agenda here
Who should attend
Manufactured and Retail food inspectors with less than 6 months of experience.
Course Dates
LOCATION
- Virtual
Cost
$350
Basic Inspections and Investigations Course – Produce
Seat limit: 16
This course provides basic and fundamental learning opportunities for new produce regulators who have responsibilities for conducting routine and non-routine inspections and may have responsibilities for conducting investigations, and collecting product samples for analysis by a laboratory (when applicable).
About
This hands-on training will benefit those who have learned from ORA LearnED web-based training courses and will include live activities and exercises. Topics will include a review of the basics of conducting an inspection including equipment and tools, conducting the opening and closing interviews, improving observation skills, and preparing a defensible report. A brief overview of investigations and sampling techniques is covered.
Download printable agenda here
Who should attend
Produce regulatory inspectors with less than 6 months of experience.
Course Dates
LOCATION
Cost
FREE
For Produce Regulatory Program participants
Root Cause Analysis for Retail Food Safety
course Length: 18 hours | SEAT Limit: 15
This course develops the skills needed to define the problem, collect data, determine the “why” of the violation or outbreak, and identify solutions by applying the concepts of root cause analysis to reduce risk factor violation occurrence and enhance foodborne illness outbreak investigations.
About
Root Cause Analysis is a critical part of the food safety problem solving process. This analytical process breaks down the system into its components enabling an understanding of the effect of each component on others and/or the system. Root cause analysis techniques assist in identifying possible causes and determine actual causes.
This virtual course consists of four 4.5-hour sessions and will have activities and exercises.
Course objectives
- Enhance problem solving effectiveness by providing a model for more deeply analyzing problem situations. (e.g., Food Borne Illness Outbreaks)
- Clarify the difference between analytical and creative thinking, and when each is most useful
- Promote the ability to provide problem-solving support in situations where one is not an expert in the process or technology involved
- Expand the range of tools available for analysis of problems
Who should attend
Advanced food safety regulators and investigators.
Course Dates
Dec 4 – 7, 2023 ( FULL )
Feb 20 – 23, 2024 REGISTER HERE
LOCATION
- Virtual
Cost
$250
Process Improvement for Regulators – A Training Practitioner Certificate Experience
SEAT Limit: 16
This course will take a deliberate approach to improving business processes by efficiently identifying, analyzing, and refining each existing process to improve them and then how to respond to changes in business rules or data, compliance, or regulations
About
Participants will facilitate discussions with the Process Improvement tools within their organizations after completing the in-person Process Improvement class. Our approach is straight forward, not over engineered, or over complicated. Participants will facilitate discussions with the Process Improvement tools within their organizations after completing the in-person Process Improvement class. Our approach is straight forward, not over engineered, or over complicated.
This course will have one four-hour virtual component prior to the in-person course and four monthly calls, not to exceed 2 hours each.
Download printable agenda here.
Course objectives
- Adoption of new regulations
- The implementation of new software
- Changes to licensing structures or fees
- Adaptable to any situation
Who should attend
The course is designed for food and feed programs by giving them the tools necessary to facilitate and lead their programs in new and/or complex projects. This course is only available to individual’s currently employed by federal, state, tribal, and territorial regulatory agencies.
Note: This course requires an application. Accepted applicants will be notified at least 9 weeks before the course, at which point an invoice will be issued. Selection will be based upon a variety of criteria including position, geographic and programmatic diversity, and location. This course is only available to federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial regulators.
Course Dates
- February 6-9, 2024 — in-person
- January 30, 2024 — 4-hour virtual meeting 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET
- Four monthly calls following the course
LOCATION
- In-person (with a virtual component)
- Hilton Garden Inn Albany Medical Center
- 62 New Scotland Avenue, Albany, NY
Cost
$750
Non-member plus travel expenses
$400
Member plus travel expenses
Instructor Skills Training (IST)
course Length: 2 1/2 days session | SEAT Limit: 21
This course provides individuals with an overview of the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to deliver effective training.
About
The course is activity-based, participant-driven, and consists largely of facilitated discussions and activities in both small and large group settings.
As a major focus, the course requires participants to practice the following skills, which are essential for successful delivery of training:
- Demonstration: Physically showing how something is used or done.
- Facilitation: Leading or orchestrating group activities or interaction to reach consensus, gain knowledge, or achieve a goal.
- Presentation: Disseminating information verbally and/or visually.
Download printable agenda here
Learners will be asked to asked to complete the following Pre-Course and In-Class work:
- Completion of pre-course assessment (multiple choice and true or false questions based on course content).
- Selection of a PPT presentation from a list of several AFDO-provided presentations.
- Using the provided PPT presentation (including the embedded notes), prepare a 10-minute presentation to be delivered during the first day of the IST course.
- Learners will also need to rework their provided PPT presentation after the second day of class to present an improved 10-minute presentation during the third half-day of class.
Who should attend
Training officers, field trainers, and other staff who conduct staff and industry training. This course is only available to individual’s currently employed by state, local, tribal, and territorial regulatory agencies.
Note: This course requires an application. Accepted applicants will be notified at least 9 weeks before the course, at which point an invoice will be issued. Selection will be based upon a variety of criteria including position, geographic and programmatic diversity, and location. This course is only available to federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial regulators.
Course Dates
LOCATION
- In-person
Cost
$750
Non-member plus travel expenses
$400
Member plus travel expenses
Food Safety Culture for Regulators with Frank Yiannas
SEAT Limit: 50
This course will teach regulators how to evaluate and strengthen the food safety cultures of an organization or establishment they regulate and how to make their regulatory practices and programs more effective. Learn more by watching this video.
Download printable agenda here
About
They will gain a better understanding of food safety culture, what it is and what it is not. They’ll also learn about must-know organizational and behavioral science principles and how to use them to influence human behavior and enhance employee compliance for the better. The attendees will receive practical, real-world applications that will help them become more effective in their current role and better equip them for their next promotion or challenge.
Who should attend
This course has been developed for food safety regulatory program leaders, supervisors, and emerging leaders. Participants desiring to better understand food safety culture to help drive change in their current role or equip them for their next promotion or challenge.
Note: This course requires an application. Accepted applicants will be notified at least 9 weeks before the course, at which point an invoice will be issued. Selection will be based upon a variety of criteria including position, geographic and programmatic diversity, and location. This course is only available to federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial regulators.
Course Dates
LOCATION
- In-person (Kansas City, Missouri)
Cost
$1200
Non-members plus travel expenses
$300
Members plus travel expenses
The Power of Outlook
SEAT Limit: 20
This virtual course will teach you to create a new work radar screen that will sharpen your focus and elevate your results each day.
About
This virtual course will teach you to create a new work radar screen that will sharpen your focus and elevate your results each day.
Course objectives
- Outlook Tune – up. Technical changes that will improve performance.
- Master Your Inbox – Instantly turn information into action instead of leaving it in a pile of e-mail.
- Calendar Mastery – Manage your time or someone else will. Better meetings, and planning
- Task Management – Prioritize, delegate, and follow up on tasks for you and your teams.
- Learning to plan – Control your future and help your teams to look beyond the horizon for success.
- Goal Setting – Learn how to sustain long-term efforts and stay emotionally connected to your goals.
Who should attend
Anyone who uses Outlook via the desktop application
Course Dates
LOCATION
- Virtual
Cost
Free
Inspector Boot Camp
SEAT Limit: 1,000
Inspector Boot Camp covers both power skills and technical skills, using interactive strategies with participants.
About
Technical skills are split into days of training specifically for retail-level inspectors (restaurants, grocery stores, etc.) and a separate day for manufactured-level inspectors (food processing facilities). The goal of this training is to provide state and local regulators access to valuable training early in their food safety careers in order to build knowledge and experience.
Who should attend
Retail and Manufactured food inspectors with LESS than two years on-the-job experience
Course Dates
- Three independent sessions with independent registrations
- January 10, 2024 — Retail and manufactured food inspectors
- January 17, 2024 — Manufactured food inspectors only
- January 24, 2024 — Retail food inspectors only
LOCATION
- Virtual
Cost
Free
Advanced Inspector Boot Camp
SEAT Limit: 1,000
Advanced Inspector Boot Camp expands on training information for inspectors including understanding food safety plans, identifying special processes, recognizing and shaping Food Safety Culture, and identifying components of a foodborne illness investigation.
About
This course will include interactive strategies to engage participants. Material is repeated each year for a new audience but day three offers something new each year!
Who should attend
Manufactured and Retail food inspectors with MORE than two years of experience
Course Dates
- Three independent sessions with independent registrations
- February 14, 2024
- February 21, 2024
- February 22, 2024
LOCATION
- Virtual
Cost
Free
Environmental Sampling: A Tool for Solving Outbreaks at the Retail Food Level
This course is intended to provide hands-on experience with planning and conducting environmental sampling activities primarily in a retail setting.
About
Learn how to build a sampling team and plan for an environmental sampling exercise, target sampling areas based on specific pathogens, and how sampling can contribute to an overall environmental assessment of a facility. This one-day course includes half a day of classroom and hands-on learning, followed by a half day of putting those skills into action in a real kitchen/food production environment.
Who should attend
Field level staff who conduct environmental sampling/environmental assessments and supervisors/coordinators who plan sampling assignments and outbreak responses, particularly at retail facilities.
Course Dates
- This course will be held in multiple locations throughout the country. If you are interested, please contact AFDO at afdo@afdo.org for dates and locations.
LOCATION
- In-person
Cost
Free
Program Manager Workshop
SEAT LIMIT: 20
This workshop is a unique opportunity designed to provide insight into key knowledge areas that Food Program Managers need to effectively implement their programs.
About
Topics include media relations, emergency response, integrated food safety systems, budgeting, human resources, legal and regulatory authorities, compliance, enforcement, and more.
Note: By application only. Please email pkennelly@afdo.org for more information or to express your interest.
Who should attend
New, existing, and future program leaders currently employed by federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial agencies.
Course Dates
- There will be three 4-hour virtual course meetings (1 each in January, March, and May 2024) followed by an 8-hour in-person course adjacent to the AFDO Annual Education Conference in June 2024.
- Specific dates will be announced in the coming months. Some travel funding support may be available for the in-person course date.
LOCATION
- In-person (with a virtual component)
- In-person portion of the course will be held at the AFDO Annual Education Conference in Grand Rapids, MI.
Cost