The journey of the Bakery School South-Africa started with their students when they were first recruited and shortlisted to join the 2-year program. Then there was the launch of the Bakery School on the 11th February 2019, many delegates shared their speeches and words of encouragement to the learners on the day. We had so many challenges along the way, however, we always kept a clear focus on the ultimate goals and achievements set for these learners.
The mission of the Bakery Schools is to grow grade 11 learners by training them, skilling them in theory and practice, resulting in a technical qualification that will create sustainable job opportunities for underprivileged youngsters. We want to create a consistent pipeline of high-quality students that has access to the bakery industry and in so doing, creating access for employment and sustainability for future entrepreneurs.
When COVID-19 was declared a world pandemic back in 2020, everything that was planned for the year seemed impossible to achieve. We had a total shut down of operations at the school at a certain point, however with the level of staff commitment and the commitment of our students we were able to still attain the planned training schedule under these unprecedented circumstances. Our mission and vision kept us motivated during that time!
Graduation is more than just throwing a cap in the air, dressing up, or getting an important piece of paper, its about celebrating achievement and being proud of the journey.
On the 9th of February, we celebrated the achievement of our first batch of students #class of 2019.
Embracing and navigating through the ever-changing lockdown and COVID-19 levels, we still held a virtual graduation ceremony for our students. They were graced with words of encouragement and wisdom by Chipkins Puratos Managing Director (Nigel Phillips), Bakery School South Africa board member (Ingrid Batty), Marketing Director of APMEA (Peter Deriemaeker), Gauteng Department of Education (Darling Tshabalala) and the FoodBev SETA (Hector Makhubele).
Join us in wishing them great success in their future career!