Alchemy Systems, the world’s largest food-industry training company, and AIB International have partnered to help commercial and retail bakeries develop skilled bakers through online training. AIB International’s Baking Specialist Online Collection – consisting of nine online courses – is now available through Alchemy Academy, the leading online training portal for food industry professionals.

According to the Workforce Gap in U.S. Commercial Baking report, 87 percent of baking manufacturers face challenges with providing job skills training for new and existing employees. The primary barriers are managing the training across multiple shifts and insufficient staff to develop and implement training. The online baking courses through Alchemy Academy enable restaurant, commercial, and retail bakeries to quickly provide their bakery staff with the fundamentals of baking production in an easy and convenient eLearning format.

“As more and more professional bakers are retiring, the industry faces a significant knowledge gap,” said Andre Biane, AIB president and CEO. “The eLearning courses deliver the knowledge and understanding that bakers need to drive higher productivity and reduce waste during production.”

The five core courses include: Baker’s Math and Science, Bread Quality, Bread Manufacturing Process, Bread Troubleshooting, and Function of Ingredients. In addition, specialty courses on pan breads, tortillas, hamburger buns, and hearth breads are also available. The courses can be purchased individually and taken at the learner’s convenience and pace.

“The AIB baking courses make it really easy for new and experienced bakery production staff to learn the fundamentals of commercial bread production and help advance their careers,” said Raj Shah, chief strategy officer of Alchemy Systems. “We are proud to partner with AIB International in this important endeavor to meet the skills gap in the industry.”