Making a baking career more attractive to the public has been a top priority for the industry, but educating the public that it’s even an available option for them is also needed. 

“A lot of people don't even know the baking industry exists in Kentucky as we are the land of automotive,” said Barbara Aker, corporate director of More Than A Bakery, Versailles, Ky. “When we first opened, people thought we were making retail-type cookies with a storefront. They didn't understand that this is a commercial bakery, so we’re trying to be active in the community and getting our name out there.”

More Than a Bakery, for example, partners with local high schools for an industry day, providing bakery tours and live demonstrations to students who may not have known such a career opportunity existed.

Rasma Zvaners, vice president of government relations, American Bakers Association (ABA), said the industry should emphasize to people the global impact industrial baking has. 

“Working in commercial baking is a purpose driven path where you are part of a community of nearly 800,000 people committed to feeding the world,” she said. “We as an industry need to amplify that message and educate potential employees across the country on how their skills and talents can be applied to a fulfilling career in this one-of-a-kind industry.”

The ABA recently launched its BakingWorks.org experience, an online resource that promotes careers in the baking industry to potential talent pools like career and technical schools.

Jeff Dearduff, owner of JED Mechanical Services, suggested the industry needs an “all-out” campaign to reach the masses, highlighting all the roles and paths to success in the industry. 

 “The days of bringing in temporary workers and hoping they stay are over,” he said. “We have to find ways to cause them to want to stay. All of the associations that are specific to the industry should band together and spend some money on a ‘Got Milk’-style campaign.”

 Promoting trade schools can also boost the available skilled labor pool for bakers, Aker said.

“Not every kid is meant to go to college,” she pointed out. “And you can make a good living coming into a manufacturing environment, even if it's an entry level position.” 

Zvaners said the ABA will begin collaborating with schools in strategic locations across the country and identify where the industry can partner with technical schools to introduce students to potential careers in baking.

This article is an excerpt from the June 2024 issue of Baking & Snack. To read the entire feature on Workforce, click here.