BAKERpedia, digital resource for the commercial baking industry, and AIB International have partnered to help commercial and retail bakeries develop skilled bakers through online training. AIB International’s Baking Specialist Online Collection is now available through BAKERpedia’s Digital Academy.

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 BAKERpedia’s Digital 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 collection consists of five core courses, plus two sets of product-specific courses. The core courses include: Baker’s Math and Science, Bread Quality, Bread Manufacturing Process, Bread Troubleshooting, and Function of Ingredients. In addition, learners will select two specialty courses on pan breads, tortillas, hamburger buns, or hearth breads to complete their certification. The courses are purchased as a complete certification and can be taken at the learner’s convenience and pace.

“Since 2014, BAKERpedia has provided cutting-edge technical information that empowers the industry,” said Dr Lin Carson, CEO of BAKERpedia. “This partnership with AIB International will help our users improve the quality of their commercial baked goods.”