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Penn State Extension highlights local teacher training and ServeSafe certification in Berks County
Summary
Penn State Extension representatives told the Berks County commissioners they used county grant support to deliver food-preservation training for teachers and ServeSafe certification opportunities for students, aimed at improving local food-safety knowledge and workforce readiness.
Amy Bradford, client relationship manager for Penn State Extension, introduced local educator Andy Hernaisen and told the Berks County commissioners that county funding helps Extension leverage state resources to deliver county-focused programming.
Andy Hernaisen, Penn State Extension’s food-safety educator for Berks County, told commissioners that Pennsylvania teachers must earn professional development credits under Act 48 and that specialized PD is scarce for family and consumer sciences and agriculture teachers. He described a Columbus Day professional development session at Conrad Weiser High School that taught home food preservation and used ingredients sourced from Berks County farms and the County Department of Agriculture’s local food map. “So seeing this need, I wanted to create an opportunity for educators in Berks County to have some professional development that’s specific and related to their field,” Hernaisen said.
Hernaisen said the session taught canning and other research-based techniques so students and families follow safe procedures; he added that the work also supports the ServeSafe curriculum used by the county’s culinary programs so students can take industry certification exams. He framed the training as a workforce-development pathway: certified students “can earn a professional certificate that adults have to learn and achieve,” which can help with hours and hiring prospects in food-service jobs.
Amy Bradford thanked the commission for county support and said Penn State Extension programs—4‑H youth development, agronomy and natural resources, animal systems, food/families/communities and horticulture—depend on a funding mix of federal, state and county investments to reach residents.
Commissioners thanked the presenters and highlighted Penn State Ag Progress Days in August as another outreach opportunity. The presentation was informational; commissioners did not take formal action on the program during the meeting.
Next steps: Extension will continue local programming and share materials on its Berks County Extension Facebook page, and commissioners encouraged public attendance at upcoming county and Extension events.
