The development of a registered Apprenticeship is based on a DACUM (or Developing a Curriculum), a formal process for defining skills and knowledge needed to be considered competent for a skilled occupation.
In 2010 a Steering Committee of managed grazing dairy farmers and agricultural educators was convened to develop a DACUM for the occupation of “dairy grazier,” which would be the basis of Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship. This Steering Committee worked with the Wisconsin Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards and the Wisconsin Technical College Board to identify the program outcomes or major work area, core competencies related to each outcome or work area, and the criteria for evaluating those competencies. The process was overseen by Worldwide Instructional Design Services. The result of the DACUM was a foundational Work Process Schedule, which includes hours distribution, and then the DGA Training Guidelines (“Job Book”) for use in on-farm training and the related classes.