Once a year, VSCA convenes a statewide professional learning event for school foodservices. This annual day is specifically designed for school foodservice personnel. Representatives of schools attend from around Victoria.

This event is for anyone and everyone involved in a primary, secondary or P-12 school canteen or foodservice in a school anywhere in Victoria. Sometimes delegates also attend from interstate! In addition, health professionals, educators and others may attend as observers.

This annual seminar and expo day allows school based personnel to attend a central venue to gain information, develop skills, share ideas and to see and sample products and services that will encourage and assist them to strive towards best practice in their own school foodservices.

All products and services displayed are in accord with the Victorian government's policy for school food.

The program varies from year to year, but may include guest speakers, seminars, discussions, question and answer sessions, a menu wall to share and exchange information, and a trade show with displays and samples of approved products and services.

VSCA strongly recommends that schools should budget professional development (PD) funding for their foodservice staff to allow them to attend this unique annual day.

VSCA advocates that foodservice staff should be included when schools are considering the "Seven Principles of Highly Effective Learning": http://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/staffdev/sso/The-Seven-Principles-of-Highly-Effective-Learning-Guide.pdf

These principles lay the foundations for the development of a culture where schools are routinely and typically seen as places where all members - staff and students - learn; where professional learning is a normal part of every staff member's daily routine; where organised off site professional learning is accompanied by opportunities to apply and embed learning into practice, and include follow up and feedback.

Foodservice personnel should be encouraged, enabled and facilitated to attend for the whole day. School canteen and foodservice staff should be relieved from normal duties to allow them to participate safely. All associated expenses should be fully covered by PD funds (including, where applicable, full pay for delegates, travel and accommodation costs, salaries for relieving staff, childcare, etc).

Victorian government schools may like to investigate applying for the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development's Education Support Professional Learning Grants for their foodservice staff. In 2011, grants applications were invited for up to $1500 for each Education Support staff member. For further information: http://www.education.vic.gov.au/proflearning/sso/esgrant.htm

Occasionally, VSCA receives requests for delegates to attend only parts of this annual event. Unless exceptional circumstances apply, VSCA recommends foodservice staff should be encouraged to participate in the whole program and should attend for the whole day to gain maximum benefit and to achieve the best possible learning outcomes.

NICHIREI AUSTRALIA TRAVEL GRANTS: $500 grant pool to assist with travel costs for delegates from schools located 200 km or more from Melbourne CBD

2011 List of Exhibitors
(Click on the underlined names for more information)

• ABC Sales & Marketing
• Airport West Pablo's Pizza
• Baiada Poultry
• Commercial Food Machinery Vic
• D'Licious Drinks
• Dairy Australia
• Farm Pride Foods
• futurefoods Australia
• 'Go for your life' Canteens Advisory Service
• GOODTASTE Training & Education
• Health Attack
• ICM8
• Jaymak Australia
• Kas Organics
• Koala Pop Korn
• Lencia Fruit Juices
• Majestic Food Products
• Markwell Foods
• Mcoco / Su-Su Sushi
• Mission Foods
• Mrs Mac's
• Nichirei Australia
• P & N Beverages
• Parents Victoria (external website)
• Parmalat Australia
• Patties Foods
• Perm-A-Pleat Schoolwear (external website)
• Sanitarium Health & Wellbeing
• Slim Secrets
• Superpop
• The Better Beverage Company
• ThinkEco
• VSCA
• WASCA (external website)
• Whittakers Services
• Wilson Food Brokers (Qld)

In 2011, school canteen representatives liked...

• Valuable information
• Brilliant speaker - I loved the talk from Robin [Perm-A-Pleat Keynote Speaker Ms Robin Bromley, Executive Director of WA School Canteen Association]
• Finding out new lines, ideas
• Group discussion
• Meeting people who do the same work, same interests, happy and passionate within their work
• Sampling different products
• Sharing thoughts and ideas, also concerns. Hearing solutions.
• Seeing new products including uniform and cleaning/hygiene info
• Sharing info, problems & ideas
• New ideas and motivation
• So relevant to canteen & the work we are doing today
• Very informative being able to meet new suppliers of products

They also said...

• Coming from a small almost isolated area, we don't often get the chance to find alternative products or options to provide our students. This is usually done by our suppliers
• It was very well organised - you are to be congratulated
• It was all good - including free parking
• Well presented and very informative. I would not hesitate to attend again
• Thoroughly enjoyed the day
• Thank you to the VSCA team for the wonderful job they do for all of us
• These days are of real value and a good opportunity to see what else is going on out there in canteen world. It also reminds us that we are doing a great job in keeping our kids well nourished.
• Well done VSCA - you still lead the way!

In 2011, exhibitors liked...

• Contact with canteen managers without having to have allegiance to the distributors
• Friendly people & atmosphere
• Well attended
• Well organised & laid out.
• Lots of people going through
• Good sales leads
• Variety of products.
• Nice atmosphere
• Right size / Right people
• Most people through were genuinely interested in what we offered and there weren't a lot of time wasters or brochure grabbers
• Great venue, nice and central to everyone
• Nice & spacious
• Easy to talk to the attendees, people had time to talk, good forum to talk
• "Good job well done"
• Great! It worked for us!
• VSCA - very well run, a pleasure to attend. Thank you for allowing us to exhibit.