The Milking Equipment Association (MEA) is changing the name of its accreditation scheme for dairy technicians and launching a new Category 4 Master Dairy Engineering Technician course.

The Milking Systems Training Accreditation (MSTA) scheme replaces Parlour Safe, offering training courses and assessment for dairy technicians to improve their skills and gain an industry-recognised accreditation.
 
MEA Chair, John Baines explained, "The MEA has relaunched its accreditation scheme to reflect development in dairy systems. We no longer believed Parlour Safe to be an accurate description of dairy technicians’ experience because of the changes in milking systems, especially robots. Our MSTA courses reflect this, and we are also introducing a new Category 4 Accreditation for ‘Master’ dairy engineering technicians looking to take their career a step further.”
 
Category 4 was launched at the MEA member meeting on 29th June and is an opportunity for experienced dairy technicians to be accredited with specialist status in the sector. The course is aimed at those looking for leadership roles that may require them to train or mentor others. “Category 4 is aligned with the professional standards required for application to the Engineering Council for Engineering Technician (EngTech) registration. It is therefore a new benchmark for the milking industry and a goal for those wishing to lead,” he adds.
 
To better represent the diversity of its members, the MEA has also had a brand refresh and launched a new website with a dedicated section for the MSTA. “Working with our members, we agreed that the MEA needed a new look to reflect the changes the industry has experienced. This offered the opportunity to create a new website resource which also better explains the MSTA courses that are available and how new and experienced technicians can apply to gain accreditation,” he says.