Expand existing New Employee Orientation and develop production assistant classes - 1 of 1 year

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School Food Service had a very productive FY16 school year with the Professional Development Department graduating 33 Manager Interns from their program. The interns follow an extensive 16 week training course with rotations in elementary and secondary schools. Once a week they attend an eight hour class held at the School Food Service office. Team Leaders from each department instruct the interns on procedures for Finance, Technology, Meal Applications, Nutrition, etc., that prepare them to manage a school on their own.

One such class is the Nutrition class that consists of an activity which lets the interns express their creativity in a group setting. They use fresh fruits and vegetables to create shapes and objects that tell a story. Each group explains their creation and how it relates to School Food Service. A panel of judges vote on the projects and a winner is selected. The winners receive a small token of appreciation for a job well done.

At the end of the program, a graduation ceremony and luncheon is held at the School Food Service office with family and friends in attendance.

We created a two day training program for all new SFS employees. ??All new employees are required to attend this course prior to the start of their assignment at a school. ??Current employees who need a refresher course may register for the course as well. Professional Development and Program Operations teamed up to develop the all day workshop. ??Trainees start the day in the classroom learning procedures and other employee related information, then they move into a kitchen to have hands on training learning how to use the equipment by preparing food. ??Additionally, they are taught basic cashiering, civil rights, and sanitation and safety skills.

We also worked collaboratively to develop a On-The-Job (OTJ) training program for prospective Production Assistants. ??Production Assistant candidates spend two weeks training at a large school with a successful manager and production assistant. ??They are also required to attend the Summer Training Institute. ??

The Production Assistant Job Description was also revised to include the new training requirements to be completed with the first 12 months of employment as a Production Assistant.