NorthTec offers new baking course to address skills shortage

NorthTec hospitality tutor Tracy Telfer is excited for the new baking qualification being offered at the polytechnic. Photo / Supplied

Home bakers are being encouraged to turn their hobby into a career to address a skills shortage which has forced many Northland hospitality businesses to buy in products instead of having them made on site.

Baking is on New Zealand's skills shortage list so to address the problem regionally, NorthTec is now offering a New Zealand certificate in baking (generalist), which gets under way in March next year.

Tutor Tracy Telfer, who is a trained pastry chef and has also run her own cafe in Whangārei, said Northland hospitality businesses had struggled to find bakers.

"That's why quite a lot of places end up buying product in pre-made - because they don't have people who can consistently bake good products."

Telfer said despite baking being a popular hobby, she believed it was not a career many people thought of.

"They think about becoming a chef but they don't necessarily think about doing the cakes, and desserts, and bread.

"I think people think of bakeries, they think all they'll be doing is baking bread. Whereas this course, even though there is an artisan bread component, there is also cakes and desserts."

Telfer hoped more people would turn it into a career.

"I think with Covid, lots of people got stuck in to baking because they had time to experiment with it. So knowing they have the skills to head in that direction and be able to find a job is turning their passion into a career."

She said businesses were excited there was now a course in Whangārei.

"They thought it was a great idea to be able to have locally skilled people, particularly in Northland.

"I'm really excited. I've been basically raving on 'we need to teach this course' so to finally have it and be able to offer it - it's great. My passion is baking and cakes and stuff so it's really exciting."

The programme lasts for one academic year and learners will study in NorthTec's professional kitchens at the Raumanga campus.

It consists of two days per week in the kitchen, with a half day in the classroom learning bakery theory, and additional self-directed study.