FOREWORD
The legislation of reference
The requirement of the health qualification booklet for food handlers has been replaced by the current new national and EU regulations, which came into force following the issuance of the EC Regulations of the "Hygiene Package," which, in the area of food safety, assign to the employer the obligation and the burden of education/training and refresher training of food handlers, according to the criteria established by the regulations themselves. The regions, therefore, have implemented this legislation by issuing specific directives in this regard, which are not uniform throughout the country, but which nonetheless have as their common denominator the obligation for those involved in the preparation, production, handling, administration and sale of food substances to periodically produce to the control bodies (on average every two/three years) a certificate proving their participation in a specific training course that varies in hours, depending on the regional regulations. By way of example, categories subject to the regulations, with minimal differences between regions, include workers in jobs that involve direct contact with food, such as cooks and assistant cooks, waiters, bartenders, caterers, pastry chefs, ice cream makers, deli workers, fresh pasta makers, milk and cheese processors, slaughtering, cutting processing processing and sale of meat, fish and shellfish, milkers, ovo-product production workers, bakers and pizza, piadina and similar production workers, fruit and vegetable processing and sale workers, fish sales workers, bulk food transportation and sale workers, meal administration/portioning staff in school and social welfare facilities etc.
THE AREA OF APPLICATION OFTHE NORMATIVE
The area of application is very wide and covers the entire country, with a potential catchment area of millions of employees. Since this is an EU directive, which affects all EU countries, the project, which is multilingual, can find important outlets abroad as well.
THE CURRENT SITUATION
The training courses available in Italy are almost exclusively residential and not always coordinated with each other.
LIMITS OF RESIDENTIAL TRAINING
Participation in a residential training course is often of limited effectiveness due to the heterogeneity of the learners, the lack of specificity for individual categories and the impossibility of reviewing fundamental concepts. It also entails, in addition to the registration cost, for users to move to the course venue, or otherwise engage within their own facility, adding to the costs and time spent.
THE PRODUCT
PVI FORMAZIONE has created a multilingual, distance learning individual training course on Food Hygiene and Safety for food handlers(formerly the health booklet). The course complies with the various regional regulations ( where they exist ) in order to achieve usability throughout the country.
THE OBJECTIVES
The purpose of the courses is to transmit knowledge and behaviors designed to prevent damage to public health by providing help to all those involved in the preparation, production, administration and sale of food substances.
THE MULTILINGUALCOURSES
The courses on DVD are planned to be multilingual. The special focus on Arabic and Chinese, allows approaching ethnic communities, especially in the catering sector
THE ADVANTAGES OF DISTANCE TRAINING
The possibility of being able to train at one's home or at the location of the work activity at low cost, at the times decided by the user, even at different times, without depriving time from one's work activity, makes distance learning an advantageous, versatile and economically interesting tool. In addition, the recognition of Distance Learning (FAD) by national and regional institutions also for the training and updating of important professional fields, such as those of health professionals, with the awarding of training credits, has formalized its effectiveness and andragogical value. Finally, the requirement for interactive participation in the distance learning course leads to a personal and direct involvement of the food handler, fostering an effective capitalization of information that will reflect positively on the professionalism of operators and the health of consumers.
THEEDITOR
The Public Health Services of the ASLs, including the Veterinary Services, as bodies with judicial police functions, are responsible for the control and verification of the suitability requirements of the facilities deputed to the preparation, production, administration and sale of food. Le Point Vétérinaire Italie (PVI) is a publishing house present in Italy since 1992. A leader in the veterinary sector, it is among the main publishers in the agri-zootechnical and public health fields(www.pointvet.it). The specific expertise and authority acquired in the field, through periodical publications and book publishing, and the constant collaboration with top experts guarantee the quality of its products. PVI publishes one weekly, four monthly, two bimonthly and four quarterly. The book catalog includes more than seventy titles, including academic and professional texts. Finally, PVI has a division dedicated to professional training, both residential and distance learning. PVI's activities are aimed at veterinarians, breeders, pharmacists, physicians, health inspection personnel, etc.
Experience in Training
PVI's scientific periodicals are leaders in self-education for the professional categories concerned. PVI has its own e-learning platform for the training of professionals (www.pviformazione.it), and in the year 2007, together with F.I.A.S.O. (Federazione Italiana Aziende Sanitarie e Ospedaliere) and in collaboration with the University of Milan, the ASL Città di Milano and the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna, the first experimentation of distance learning, with provision of CME credits, authorized by the National Commission for Continuing Education (CNFC) of the Ministry of Health for veterinarians and prevention technicians in the environment and in the workplace. In 2009, PVI was an accredited Provider of the Lombardy System of CME/CPD, both for distance and residential training, and delivered nationwide training courses with CME credits for veterinarians, physicians, pharmacists, inspecting health personnel and other professional categories. In 2010, PVI was among the first facilities accredited as a national provider for FAD by CNFC.
Quality Certification
As of 04/20.2005 PVI acquired the CISQ/CERTIQUALITY Quality Certification, now maintained in accordance with UNI EN ISO 9001 : 2008, for the design and delivery of continuing medical and public health education events, both residential and distance learning.
The "PVI FORMAZIONE" brand
For training projects in the field of Food Safety, PVI is present with the "PVI FORMAZIONE" brand.
THE SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE AND GUIDANCE COMMITTEE
Authoritative experts in the field, representatives of important national institutions participated in the development of the project. Two committees were appointed: the PVI Scientific Committee for Food Safetyand the Steering Committee. Specifically, the Scientific Committee ensures the scientific accuracy and teaching effectiveness of the courses, while the Steering Committee assists in the strategic direction of the entire project. In addition to the members of the Scientific Committee, the Steering Committee includes other influential experts and representatives of professional associations and institutions that are partners in the initiative. The Committees may be expanded with other technical-scientific and institutional figures based on the needs that will be identified.
THE INNOVATIVE METHODOLOGY
The DVD courses are based on a unique technical system called "one-to-one DVD." in that each DVD is unique and allows the acquisition of only one certificate per learner. The most significant innovation is to enable all those unfamiliar with computers to participate in the multimedia and interactive courses, with evaluation questionnaires, from the comfort of their own homes, using simply a television set, a DVD player and a remote control. The multilingual feature also allows practitioners of other nationalities to take the courses in their own language. Users can also access a form of tutoring via telephone, fax, e-mail and an e-learning platform. More experienced users can also enjoy the courses via PC or Mac.
THE STRUCTURE OF THE DVD COURSES
- The DVD courses are divided into chapters, which can be viewed freely.
- Each chapter contains an instructional film supported by pictures and animations.
- After viewing each chapter, one can answer the questions in the corresponding questionnaire.
- Individual questionnaires cannot be accessed without viewing the relevant chapters.
- Questionnaires are different for each DVD.
- Each questionnaire contains three (randomized) triple-answer questions (three answers, from which to indicate the correct one) and must be addressed in one sitting.
THE FUNCTIONALITY OF THE DVD COURSES
- You can proceed through the questionnaire questions only if you answer them correctly, otherwise you return to the beginning of the chapter for a review.
- The questions change each time you repeat the questionnaire.
- You can review the chapters for which you have passed the final tests.
- After passing each questionnaire, a number, different for each copy of the DVD, will automatically appear on the overlay.
- This number should be transcribed in the appropriate box on the card attached to the package.
- Matching all the chapter numbers that appear in the overlay (thus forming a code) with the code printed on the DVD, which must also be transcribed on the card, proves successful completion of the course.
- By faxing (or by other means indicated on the form, including telematics) to the Training Authority the form with the correct codes, completed with the learner's data, one is entitled to receive the personal certificate.
Each DVD is unique by questionnaire questions (different), questionnaire code numbers, and DVD code number.
You can review the chapters of which you have passed the final tests, for review.
The project is also presented in PVI's e-learning platform, at: www.pviformazione.it, in the area related to the food sector, where demonstration videos can also be seen.
See also www.rgmania.com