AUSTIN, TEXAS — AIB International has teamed up with Alchemy Systems to offer commercial and retail bakeries online training services. AIB’s Baking Specialist Online Collection includes nine online courses through Alchemy Academy’s online platform.
“As more and more professional bakers are retiring, the industry faces a significant knowledge gap,” said Andre Biane, president and chief executive officer of AIB.
According to the “Workforce Gap in U.S. Commercial Baking” report by the American Bakers Association and the American Society of Baking, 87% of baking manufacturers face challenges when providing job skills training for new and existing employees.
These online baking courses aim to teach bakery employees the fundamentals of production in an easy and convenient eLearning format.
The platform currently offers five core courses — Baker’s Math and Science, Bread Quality, Bread Manufacturing Process, Bread Troubleshooting, and Function of Ingredients — and four specialty courses on pan bread, tortillas, hamburger buns and hearth bread. The classes may be purchased individually for $250 to $425 and taken at the student’s pace.
Each course consists of modules that include an instruction section, learning exercises and “knowledge checks” to test comprehension. Courses can run for two to six hours depending on the subject matter. The platform is designed for easy search and access to the courseware. The user-interface is similar to an Amazon shopping experience where the learner can search for courses, register, pay with a credit card and start learning at their convenience.
Alchemy Systems offers a range of courses, tools and templates for food industry professionals that cover food safety, workplace safety, human resources, operations and expert consulting. Working with companies like Snyder’s-Lance, Dawn Foods, Conagra, Kellogg Co. and more, the platform has helped operations improve efficiencies and reduce workplace accidents. For example, the platform helped Rudolph Foods achieve an 11% reduction in customer complaints.
For more information on AIB and Alchemy System’s course offerings, click here.