Increasing Outreach Through “Training the Trainer”

In addition to direct outreach, UNL Cooperative Extension trains individuals who, in turn, impact or teach others. This includes teachers, business professionals, food and other service industry workers, government employees, health professionals, childcare providers, master gardeners and community volunteers.

Here are some ways Cooperative Extension “trains the trainer” in Lancaster County:

• Provides integrated pest management (IPM) educational resources for pest control professionals, health care professionals and social workers.
• Provides training for Commercial Pesticide Applicator certification. More than 300 people were trained or recertified at the Lancaster Extension Education Center in 2003.
• Provides training for Master Gardener volunteers who then share the information with the public through phone calls, direct contacts, educational programs and special events.
• Offers termite and landscaping workshops which Real estate licensees receive continuing education credits from the Nebraska Real Estate Commission for attending.
• Educates Commercial horticulture industry employees on localized horticulture issues with commercial horticulture clinics and videos.
• Offers extensive resources on the Food Web site and e-newsletters for health professionals and educators to use for more successful food, nutrition and food safety programming.
• Presents leader training lessons to Family and Community Education club members and other community leaders.
• Through 4-H, provides ongoing leadership training to 4-H leaders and parents and Livestock Quality Assurance training to 4-H farm families.
• Through 4-H School Enrichment, provides 1st through 5th grade teachers with curriculum, training and materials for hands-on classroom activities.
• In cooperation with other agencies, offers child care conferences which Child Care Providers gain inservice hours for attending.
• Developed head lice resources used by many health professionals.
• Developed a teaching program for real estate and land appraiser professionals to help promote functional and sustainable landscapes.
• Developed an award-winning game “Don’t Get Bugged by a Foodborne Illness,” for nutrition educators to teach consumers important food safety practices. More than 3,000 copies of the game have been sold to educators nationally and internationally.
• Through Neighbors Working Together, has led or facilitated several leadership trainings for neighborhood leaders.
• Has conducted Success Marker/Journey Mapping trainings for extension staff across the state.

Extension Educator Tom Dorn (above) demonstrates protective clothing and equipment during a pesticide certification training.

4-H clubs and activities, such as Clover College (above ), are made possible by numerous volunteers donating their time and talents.

Volunteers Contribute to Extension’s Success

Last year, UNL Cooperative Extension in Lancaster County programs benefitted from 1,320 volunteers investing 29,127 hours of time for a total value of $481,761.* Extension trains and supports, as well as coordinates the efforts of, a variety of volunteers: 4-H leaders and superintendents, Master Gardeners, Family Community Education (FCE) volunteers, NEP volunteers and earth wellness festival presenters and assistants. 4-H and FCE members often volunteer in community-related projects. Thanks to all these volunteers who help make extension’s programs successful!

*Independent Sector values volunteer time at $16.54/hour.