Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship

Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship (DGA), a national apprenticeship registered with the U.S. Department of Labor - Employment and Training, offers its own apprenticeship related instruction in an online format for apprentices across the country.

Through partnering with established grazing dairy farmers, universities, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders, DGA had developed a strong apprenticeship program. However, as the apprenticeship grew, they realized they also needed a standardized online curriculum to efficiently deliver the required related apprenticeship instruction to apprentices located across multiple states.

When DGA contacted WIDS, their goal was to establish a recognized online learning institution, develop a standardized DGA related curriculum for online delivery, and align the curriclum to the existing on the job apprenticeship training.

WIDS led the effort by:

• designing a DGA apprenticeship related instruction curriculum program framework
• aligning the curriculum to the existing on the job apprenticeship training
• guiding DGA through the application and submission process to attain Educational Approval Program (EAP) approval to offer online curriculum
• setting up a WIDS Production Site to support the development of curriculum documentation required for EAP applications and on-site review
• developing course and program outcomes and learning plans for online delivery
• coaching employees on EAP review protocols and best practices
• coaching DGA instructor in designing learning plans and materials for online delivery
• assisting DGA instructor with initial Moodle course set-up and design
• guiding instructors on using Moodle tools to ensure learners in achieve outcomes
• guiding DGA to position themselves for seeking accreditation in the future

With WIDS assistance, DGA earned EAP approval, successfully launched the platform for DGA online learning, and has been delivering high-quality apprenticeship related instruction ever since. DGA currently has 200 approved Master Dairy Graziers in 15 states: Iowa, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Wisconsin.