UPSHALL ANNOUNCES FUNDING FOR PRAIRIE SWINE CENTRE

Released on December 19, 1997

Agriculture and Food Minister Eric Upshall today announced funding of

$50,000 for the Prairie Swine Centre Inc. in Saskatoon to develop a

training program which will meet the management and production

training needs of the pork industry in the province.



"Producers identified a need for a program which addresses the

managerial aspects of pork production," Upshall said. "The

development of a training program to assist the Saskatchewan pork

industry is an important step to ensure the continued growth and

development of the industry. This initiative is part of an overall

strategy to develop a comprehensive training program for the pork

industry in Saskatchewan.



"The program will fill a gap in pork production training. At present,

we have introductory and apprenticeship courses offered through the

Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology (SIAST) and

the Department of Post-Secondary Education and Skills Training and we

have the degree and diploma programs offered by the University of

Saskatchewan. This new program will provide the industry with

hands-on management training in areas that will enhance their farms

immediately."



"The program will meet the needs of a growing industry where pork

production personnel and families can get the training they need

to enhance the management of existing pig farms," Upshall said.



The Prairie Swine Centre will co-ordinate the development and

delivery of a series of training modules. Pork Central

specialists will assist with the development of some course

materials and modules.



"These modules will cover subjects such as human resources

development, financial planning, general management techniques

and advanced technical pork production," said Lee Whittington,

Manager, Information Services, Prairie Swine Centre Inc. "The

courses will be designed specifically for owner-operators and

pork production companies who wish to train existing staff to

become production unit managers."



The program development will begin early in the new year and the

first course modules should be available in early summer. Each

module is expected to be 1.5 days in length. Participants will

receive a certificate on successful completion of the series of

modules.



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For more information, contact:



Susie Miller

Assistant Deputy Minister

Agriculture and Food

Regina

Phone: (306)787-5245



Lee Whittington

Manager, Information Services

Prairie Swine Centre Inc.

Saskatoon

Phone: (306)477-7447