Heather Lydick, graduate of Hampton High School, is enrolled in the online Dietary Manager Training Program offered by the Tennessee Technology Center at Elizabethton.
The eight-month program, approved by the Dietary Managers Association, is designed to prepare graduates for the National Credentialing Exam to become a Certified Dietary Manager.
The course consists of one to two lessons per week and 150 hours of field training. Topics include food procurement, nutrition, sanitation, food and safety and administrative personnel management. "Budgeting for food purchases has been the most interesting subject I have studied, thus far," Heather said.
Dietary Managers are employed in hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living centers, large childcare centers, correctional and rehabilitative centers, restaurants and schools. Nationally, the average annual salary of Dietary Managers is $39,201.
The cost to enroll in the online Dietary Manager Program is approximately $1,900, which includes the registration fee, textbooks, liability insurance and cost of the credentialing exam. The program qualifies for the Federal Pell Grant and the Tennessee Lottery Scholarship.