MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, US — The Grain Elevator and Processing Society (GEAPS) and Kansas State University (KSU) are offering a packaged price on their joint credential program. Anyone who purchases five of the six courses required for the credential in Grain Operations Management receives the final course for free. Courses are a part of the GEAPS/K-State Distance Education Program.
With the bundle pricing, credentials cost $3,500 for GEAPS members and $4,525 for non-members. The free course is a $700 savings for GEAPS members and $965 savings for non-members.
The deal includes an advising session with GEAPS staff. The half-hour meeting will plan a timeline for course completion through the end of 2021. The advising session is an opportunity to ask any questions about the program before purchasing the courses.
Courses required:
- GEAPS 500: Introduction to Grain Operations or GEAPS 501: Management Basics for Grain Facility Supervisors
- GEAPS 510: Grain Facilities Planning and Design I
- GEAPS 520: Grain Quality Management
- GEAPS 530: Quality Management Systems for Bulk Materials Handling Operations
- GEAPS 540: Entry Level Safety
- GEAPS 550: Materials Handling I
The courses run for five weeks and consist of industry peer-reviewed materials, narrated PowerPoint lectures and networking opportunities. Students who complete a course receive one continuing education unit (CEU) from Kansas State University and a certificate of completion.
R. Scott Brittingham, MCGOM, regional manager of Delaware grain facilities at Mountaire Farms Inc., enrolled in courses to gauge them as a training option for less-experienced employees.
“Mountaire’s business model puts a high emphasis on operational excellence,” Brittingham said. “As I was researching the course offerings, my lifelong love of learning prompted me to sign up for courses to see if I could glean any information to supplement my years of experience in the grain industry.”
Experienced employees can utilize the courses to fill knowledge gaps.
Brock Dexter, MCGOM, senior safety specialist, CHS, pursued credentials to broaden his knowledge of the industry.
“When you work in the ag industry you know how elevators operate, how legs operate, how conveyors operate in a very general capacity,” Dexter said. “These courses made you design a facility and realize how things should work in a perfect world when you get to start from scratch.”
GEAPS and KSU provide online, peer-reviewed continuing education unit (CEU) qualified courses taught by grain industry leaders and faculty members. Lectures and coursework take place online, available any time during the five-week session.
