The World Youth Skills Day is commemorated every July 15 and this year’s event provided an opportunity for flour milling giant, Crown Flour Mill Limited (CFM) to reiterate the importance of upskilling in the baking industry. Olayinka Yusuf, Head, Technical Sales Force, CFM, in this interview he explains why CFM is investing in youth empowerment and building capacity in the baking industry. Daniel Obi reports
What informed the introduction of the Crown Flour Mill baking school?
Our main objective is to increase/update the skills of our active bakers to bridge the observed skills gap in the industry and hence maximize their profitability. In the long run, we believe this will make the industry grow and become more attractive to more youthful would-be bakers.
How do the objectives of the CFM baking school tie into bridging the skill gap among the teeming Nigerian youth population?
We aim to make the business of baking more profitable to current bakers and attractive to the youth population. This presents a big self-employment opportunity for youths and ultimately reduces unemployment rate in the country.
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Taking into consideration the challenge of skill-gaps and the high level of unemployment in the country, how would you rate the efforts of CFM in bridging this gap?
We are proud of our objectives of improving the baking skills of our bakers and impacting on would-be bakers on the basic skills required to succeed. The training has helped many bakers to maximize their yield/profit and hence operate their bakeries sustainably. It has also made the baking profession attractive to new prospects (young and old).
Please provide a brief background on the CFM Baking School.
The CFM Bakers’ Training Centre was established in Abuja in 2018 in order to train bakers and prospective bakers on the basics of flour milling and the baking process leading to quality-bread making. This was extended to our Warri and Port Harcourt plants in 2019, and then Lagos, Ilorin, Kano and Calabar centers in 2020. While the training in Abuja is a full 5-day training, the curriculum is compressed in other centers to 2-3 days and it is referred to as ‘accelerated bakers’ training’. The training is aimed at bridging the existing gap in knowledge among bakers. Ultimately, it is to help reduce incidences of bread faults in the bakeries resulting in losses that threaten the profitability and sustainability of the baking business.
Who is eligible for admission into the baking school? Is there a minimum entry requirement?
All existing bakers with a minimum of ‘O’ level certificates are eligible. Also, would-be bakers can also attend based on recommendation from our technical sales officers or the bakers’ associations. This is why we partner state bakers’ associations on weekly nominations to the training.
Often, you hear sayings like inborn and acquired skills. Is this applicable in baking; can someone really be born or gifted with baking skills?
Baking is science! It must be learned. Experience and trainings like ours improve skills and know how.
What is the number of artisanal bakers that have passed through the CFM Baking School, and what is the feedback received from these graduates so far?
As of June, 2021, we have trained about 2,000 bakers as of June 2021 and the response from them is that it has helped to boost their profit margins. The response has been very encouraging from across our training centres nationwide. Many of the participants after concluding their training and returning to apply this knowledge, send us positive comments on how much improvement their businesses are witnessing.
Let me cite one or two examples; Tasiu Jibril Hamzah, Marketing Manager of Alummah Bakery, Kano State, was all praise for the impact that the awareness of good baking/bakery practices such as ingredients measurement, sanitation and staff management had on the profitability of the bakery he manages. His bakery, which previously produced about 84–86 pieces of 900 grams bread per 50kg bag of flour, now produces about 92– 95 pieces of 900 grams of bread per 50kg bag of flour. This translates to a big jump in the bakery’s profitability.
Another beneficiary, Ukwunna Blessed Williams, the CEO of Blessed Kalu Star Company Limited, said she now has the ability to make a recipe that leaves people wanting more and this is impacting her bottom-line. She believes that with the new profit margin the business is recording, expansion is now more feasible, she can obtain more machinery and absorb the shock from currency fluctuations and other environmental factors. This feedback clearly shows that beneficiaries of the training are seeing remarkable improvements in their efficiency, productivity and profitability, which for CFM is the ultimate objective of this upskilling effort.
What is the nature of the training offered at the CFM Baking School?
The baking school curriculum is divided into two modules: the classroom module and the practical module. The classroom module incorporates topics such as: Understanding Wheat, the Milling Process, Quality Processes in Wheat Milling, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), Food Safety, Hygiene Practice, Baking Ingredients and their Functions, Bakery Equipment, the Science of Bread Baking, Sales Management, Accounting Practices, Calculating Small Bakery Earnings and Bakery Process Tracking. While the practical module covers the following topics: the Baking Process, Recipe Formulation, Faults, Solutions and Trouble Shooting as well as Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). During the practical module, participants are trained on working with flour brands within the premium, economy and value segments and the processes to be followed to achieve the best output. Participants are exposed to the latest innovations in bread baking and products from around the world to expand their view of the future of the industry and their individual businesses. A certificate of attendance is given at the end of the training.
How rigorous is this 5-day accelerated, intensive training and what level of results do you usually get from the trainees in terms of productivity and efficiency?
The training is detailed enough to ensure improved performances of our bakers. It has enabled them to maximize their yield and profit. It has also empowered them to handle various bread faults emanating from the bakery and hence reduce their losses. The periodic impact assessment by our field teams reveals high level of utilization of the skills acquired from the training as well as very deep appreciation from the bakers.
Since flour millers which supply the major ingredient for baking occupy the top position in the vertical wheat value chain, what plans does CFM have for sustaining the current effort to up-skill bakers, engender maximum productivity and boost the country’s food security position?
We are training the bakers free-of-charge and as a part of our Corporate Social Responsibility. The training is one initiative which we intend to remain invested in the long haul. We are hoping all bakers in the country will at one point or the other get to attend this training and improve their baking skills.
What impact did COVID-19 restrictions have on operations at the CFM Baking School? And how were you able to navigate the disruption?
Covid-19 restrictions impacted massively in 2020 as we could not hold the classes for several months. When we restarted the training towards the end of the year, we were only able to admit half the normal number of attendees in each class while ensuring we were adhering to covid safety protocols. As a result of the restrictions, only a little over 600 bakers were trained last year and we ran far fewer training batches than we had initially planned.
