WASHINGTON — The American Bakers Association on June 30 officially launched what it described as a “a major upgrade” of what has been known as the Cookie and Cracker Academy.

The new platform will go live July 3, and the ABA has asked program administrators not to enroll new students the week of June 29 while the technical transition to the new platform is completed.

ABA said the academy will offer an “improved user experience” for students and administrators that will feature a more intuitive visual interface, calendar notifications, a mobile interface, a streamlined enrollment process and improved student tracking features.

Bakers Manufacturing Academy represents the third name for the educational programming in the last few years.  Formerly known as B&CMA University, the Cookie & Cracker Academy name was adopted when the ABA and the Biscuit and Cracker Manufacturers’ Association merged in April 2017.

The programming is intended to provide aspiring bakers or baking professionals of all levels “an advanced understanding of the complete manufacturing process and the science behind it,” the ABA said. The programming is complemented by an annual technical conference which “serves as an annual platform to exchange ideas around the cookie and cracker manufacturing industry — technology, production and managerial best practices.”