Olds College has once again received recognition for the acclaimed Meat Processing program. Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) has named the program Bronze Award Winner in the Program Excellence category at the 2018 Award of Excellence dinner in Victoria, BC on April 30.
The CiCan Awards of Excellence Program recognizes and promotes excellence within colleges, institutes, CÉGEPS, and polytechnics in Canada. The Program Excellence Award highlights the role of Canadian institutions in social, cultural and economic development and recognizes programs that are innovative, portable, sustainable, and effective. Programs recognized with this award involve several institutional constituents (faculty, students, staff, administration, and governors). The program should also involve at least one external industry or community partner.
Olds College has a long-standing history of being the hub of meat cutting activity and innovation. Providing innovation beyond traditional meat cutting practices, Olds College is leading the way for technological advancement in the industry.
“We first opened the program in 1969,” explains Brad McLeod, National Meat Training Centre Manager. “Now the program has become the only one of its kind in North America, and one of only two programs in the world that engages learners in the full spectrum of meat processing training.”
Three times every year we welcome a new intake of eighteen students from all over North America for an intense fifteen weeks of learning. These students learn techniques including meat cutting, trimming, boning, breaking, wrapping, sausage-making and curing with professional sanitation and food safety applications, including Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP).
Students learn all aspects of the meat processing industry, including entrepreneurship and retail operations through managing the Retail Meat Store, and customer service by helping community members find the cuts that they are Olds College boasts an extensive multi-purpose facility that is fully equipped to teach you value added skill sets and knowledge for the meat industry. At our popular retail counter, our students learn applied retail merchandising and customer service skills in explaining the attributes and benefits of various products and cuts.
