Bakery Training Is Essential

 

One thing we all notice when attending bakery trade shows is the consummate ease with which the bakers ‘on the floor’ turn out good looking treats for us all to sample. Europain, in Paris, is one of my all time favorites for this very reason!  But not by far the only one!

Then again, the fare on offer at iba and others is pretty good too. But the thought always comes to mind: what training do these bakers get? Do they love their jobs given the unearthly hours they have to work?

I remember walking around iba with Peter Becker, president of the German Bakers Federation, a few years ago and he remarked that ongoing training was essential to keep the profession alive and competitive.

He said one problem was that many major manufacturers have their own R&D or test centers and are looking to hire top notch bakers – who find the more regular hours more appealing.

Is this potential shortfall being addressed internationally and is technical and ongoing training provided?

Yes it is. We now have the German Bakers Academy, in Weinheim between Heidelberg and Frankfurt, which is an initiative started by the Federation and supported by about 12,000 bakeries throughout Germany.

This has an equivalent in the UK with National Bakery Training – run by Scottish Bakers and headed up by training manager Karen Taylor – which offers a wide range of tailored development courses for bakers from apprenticeships to management training. It is based in Dumfernline, Scotland.

Then, we have all heard of the UK’s National Skills Academy for Food and Drink which recognizes that bakery skills are in high demand and offers a network of training partners with bakery training courses that fulfill a wide range of industry needs.

And finally, the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) is building on existing, sector-wide initiatives to address a looming skills shortage.

At National Apprentice Week (March 9-13), the FDF highlighted the importance of cross-sector and Government collaboration to tackle the barriers to growing high level apprenticeships.

FDF Director of Competitiveness Angela Coleshill said:

“Food and drink manufacturing apprenticeships are highly skilled, longer-term, and taken up by more experienced individuals, when compared with other sectors. This is fantastic for both employees and employers in the long-term, and we can and must do more to overcome existing barriers, such as access to funding for adult apprentices.”

Hopefully all of this – and many other schemes across the globe – augur well for the future of bakery – and those snacks at trade shows like this year’s iba in September!

Moving to our range of top bakery magazines, there are some interesting features coming up in European Baker, Biscuit World and Asia Pacific Baker.

For instance, there’s Baking Optimization for the technologically minded in European Baker’s March/April issue, a look at training in the Spring issue of Asia Pacific Baker and a look at oven types in Biscuit World’s Spring issue.

Make sure you get your copy and keep up to date.