How Cobb County Schools keeps employees engaged and open positions to a minimum

At Cobb County Schools in Marietta, Ga., Nutrition Director Amy Lambert likes to use a baseball analogy—"Who’s on-deck?” —to describe how she’s always thinking about who’s next in line for a promotion. 

“My role as the leader is to think long term,” she told attendees of the School Nutrition Association’s Annual National Conference last month in Denver. “We want to keep [employees], but we don't want to just keep them necessarily where they are because people stay in jobs for various reasons, not always for the money, but for growth and for the opportunity. People like to feel challenged.” 

To that end, Lambert and her team developed a three-part training program designed to provide career growth opportunities to employees, starting from the time they first step into the cafeteria through their entire school nutrition careers. 

Along with keeping employees more engaged, the program allows Lambert and other senior staff to identify workers who are ready to take the next step in their careers, so when the time comes and a position is open, that person is fully prepared to step into the role. 

A multi-step program…

The trainings are held in the afternoons post-work or during school holidays, such as teacher development days. 

New employees on the front line participate in a program called Future Leaders, which is designed to expose them to the world of school nutrition and provide them with the skills they need to become an assistant manager. 

“[During Future Leaders], we go over what school nutrition is because if you just started school nutrition, there's a lot about our program that, when you're just preparing the food and serving the students, you don't quite fully understand,” Lambert said. “So [we’re] helping them see the bigger picture.”

Future Leaders participants also take field trips, such as visiting distributors, to get a better understanding of the different components that go into a school nutrition program. 

After becoming an assistant manager, staff looking to move up further can participate in a program called Manager Pathways, which gets into topics like menu planning, meal pattern requirements and recipe substitution. Employees also take an HR course and develop proficiency in computer programs like Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint. 

The final training program, which the department started just this year, is called Fostering New Skillsets. 

Held once a month, managers in this program attend presentations by members of the department’s leadership team to learn more about the different senior roles. After each presentation, managers can ask questions and get further insights into what an office position entails. 

“It's kind of like an open ask us anything. It's kind of no holds barred,” said Lambert. “[…] It helps them understand what the office folks do.” 

…with multiple benefits 

There are many upsides to providing extensive training to employees, said Lambert. 

One advantage is that it makes the transition of stepping into a new role easier for both the person who got promoted and the staff members who now report to them since everyone is familiar with the district and the work environment.  

"If there's some continuity and understanding how your program operates, it makes that transition much more smooth,” said Lambert.   

One of the biggest gains, however, is being able have a hand in someone’s professional development, Lambert said, noting that employees who feel like leadership cares for them will be more likely to stick around.  

“If people feel like you see them and you want to help them grow, they will stay with you a long time,” she says.