p.26 GC Tucker - BW Spring 2013_p.26 GC Tucker - BW Spring 2013.qxd 13/03/2013 09:46 Page 27
methods used.
In larger plant bakeries, bakers
use the latest cutting-edge
technology working on production
lines to manufacture large amounts
of baked goods for shops,
supermarkets, catering outlets and
other sizeable customers.
On-the-jOb training
Most bakers begin their careers as
apprentices or trainees with many
bakery jobs requiring no specific,
formal qualifications.
This applies particularly to junior
positions in the plant or in-store
bakery sectors, where on-the-job
training is provided.
Aspiring trainee bakers tend to be
taken under the wing of more
experienced bakers and learn their
trade working closely with their
colleague(s), observing what they do
and picking up new skills and
techniques along the way.
On-the-job training is a crucial
part of a baker’s education and lays
the foundations for a career in the
industry.
Learning at work provides an
opportunity to get to grips with
commonly used bakery equipment
and machinery and understand the
entire production process, for
example, from measuring different
weights of raw materials to the oven
temperatures and recommended
mixing times.
However, on-the-job training
needs to be supplemented by more
formal, structured training. There is a
definite skills gap throughout the
baking industry at all levels and this
may be due in part to the reliance of
on-the-job training, which is ‘freely
available’ and requires little upfront
investment in time or money.
While the increased use of parbaked products and ‘thaw and sell’
has somewhat eased the skills gap
in many in-store bakeries, it has not
eliminated the issue entirely.
In fact, bakery trainees and
apprentices who shadow their more
experienced colleagues can, through
no fault of their own, pick up bad
habits or learn to cut corners.
This may affect product quality or
shelf life and create a vicious circle
in which new bakers going up
through the ranks learn incorrect
techniques, adopt bad practices and
never really truly understand how the
finished baked item should look,
taste or feel.
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