Program Information

Admission requirements

• Grade 10 or equivalent, Grade 12 preferred
• FOODSAFE Level 1 — Students may apply and be accepted to the program however; they must present evidence of successful completion of the FOODSAFE Certificate in the first week of classes.
• Successful score on ACCUPLACER

Expectations

You will be expected to help maintain heavy production schedules:

• by being punctual and consistent with attendance
• by cooperating in all team work activities
• by maintaining a positive attitude

And to help your own future employment opportunities by:

• adhering to the program dress code for the practical sessions
• maintaining a well-groomed appearance

Program design and activities

The program consists of 13 courses, many of which consist of both a theory and practical component. Practical work is carried out from Monday to Thursday, with theory work and evaluation on Friday morning. You will be required to take notes in class and study the manual and supplementary handouts. The schedule of work in the practical sessions and the theory sessions is subject to change depending on production requirements and the instructor's sense of class progress. The dress code is based on industry practices and requires all students to wear clean shirts and ties, black slacks and black shoes (no runners), and women wear clean blouses. The code is in effect Monday through Thursday. Informal but clean and tidy dress is appropriate on Friday.

Program structure

Meat 1010	Safety and Sanitation
Meat 1020	Beef and Veal Carcass Processing
Meat 1030	Meat Science
Meat 1040	Pork Processing
Meat 1050	Lamb Processing
Meat 1060	Poultry Processing
Meat 1070	Seafood Processing
Meat 1080	Product Identification and Nomenclature
Meat 1090	Value Added Processing
Meat 1100	Fresh, Smoked and Cured Sausage
Meat 1110	Meat Nutrition and Cooking
Meat 1120	Customer Service and Employment Skills
Meat 1130	Business Related Math

The Friday theory sessions are supplemented with guest speakers, including:

• Canadian Food Inspection Agency Inspectors
• Animal health veterinarians
• BC livestock representatives
• Brand inspectors
• Meat managers

In addition, special lectures by college staff will include:

• Resume writing
• Cooking

About half way through the program there will be seminars on public relations, customer contact and advertising. Visits to some local meatcutting operations will take place early in the program to help familiarize you with the industry. Other field trips may include visits to slaughter house operations and/or chicken processing plants.

All courses, except one, consist of instructor demonstrations followed by your own opportunity to do practical cutting. Except for the recognition of animal bone structure and of primal and secondary cuts, practical subjects are followed by supporting theory sessions that may then be combined with practical demonstrations.

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Practical work experience

Starting at about the mid-point of the program, students undertake two three-week practical work experiences to get a feel for an industry setting. The instructor helps arrange this in collaboration with businesses throughout British Columbia. About half of the students are assigned work experience somewhere in Kamloops or other areas of British Columbia while the other students continue with cutting activities, sausage manufacturing and with theory portions of the program in preparation for their own field work.

Students from outside of the immediate Kamloops area are encouraged to do their work experience in their home communities.

While on practicum, students are subject to their employer's company policies. They are not paid wages, but are covered by the Workers' Compensation Board (WCB) and the Ministry of Post Secondary Education and Future Skills. The employers are responsible for completing evaluations of the students.