Make A New Career In Baking

"YOU CAN HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO. TODAY, BAKING HAS TRANSFORMED ITSELF FROM A HOBBY TO A MONEY SPINNER. SRUTHY SUSAN ULLAS EXAMINES ALL THE OPTIONS AVAILABLE"

• Make fancy rolls, bake ginger buns and decorate your cake with your own icing designs. And at the end of the day, make money by selling these lip smacking bakery items that can even be made into healthy options these days.
• Baking is no more just a hobby. It can be a lucrative career these days. And there are diploma or short term courses that can help you find your way.
• Like the ones at The Bakery Training Unit, directorate of extension, University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS) offers. The length of the courses vary from one year Diploma course in baking technology, 14-week certificate course in baking technology and four week bakery course to two day training programmes.
• There are different sections that one can choose from. The fermented variety consists of breads and buns which make use of yeast; cakes and confectionary include cakes, biscuits, cookies in all forms; puffs and pastries; decoration of products; processing and preservation of fruits and vegetables including jams, pickles, ketchup and jellies.
• With the notion that bakery is junk food setting in the mindset of people, even bakery products are undergoing changes to turn healthier. With less sugar, fat and oil, new products like 100 per cent ragi cake, ragi pizza and bajra biscuits are also being developed.

CAREER OPTIONS

• Setting up one's own bakery has yielded many success stories. "Start with a small set up, may be worth one lakh rupees or so. Do not invest in machines at one go. Try to get a good turn over and earn profit," said Dr. S V Suresha, who is the coordinator, bakery training unit.
• Cruise ships are a lucrative option - you can earn Rs 40,000-60,000 on board. There is also a demand in countries abroad, especially in the Middle East.
• "We have 100 per cent placements. But most students do not even need our help. They are mostly successful in entrepreneurship," he said.

WHAT DO YOU GET TO LEARN?

• It is hands-on training that the students get during the course that consists of both theory and practicals. The students are briefed about the ingredients, mixes, stages and processes. Then the floo(u)r is yours! If your bread does not rise the first time, learn from your mistakes
• There's also product development where the students must come up with their own recipes. "Our students make fancy rolls, stuffed biscuits and other interesting products. They have to be economically viable; that is, the students should be able to sell it," said Rani Aravind, faculty. This is apart from sanitation and hygiene, food packaging and microbiology.
• They also have to do a one-month internship with a commercial baking unit. "This is intensive with students having to do work starting from cleaning to supply of material. This is where they learn about dignity of labour. The employer has to send the evaluation report to us," said Suresha.
• Interestingly, UAS offers classes on outlet management, public relations, record keeping and guest lecturers by health inspectors, nutritionists and loan experts. These days even hotel management students are exposed to baking courses so that they get an idea of the production side as well.