The Last Word

It’s no secret that there is a crisis for talent acquisition, training and retention in the baking and food science industries. This problem has only been exacerbated by the pandemic, and commercial bakeries are now among the economy’s mostneeded workforces. Tracing back the talent development pipeline shows the problem originates in post-secondary degree programs, which are uniformly under-enrolled.

Kansas State University has one of the top food science, milling and baking programs — perhaps one-of-a-kind in the country — with students who are almost guaranteed to graduate with a job in the industry. But many students enter K-State (and other universities) unaware of those opportunities. They understand careers in business or engineering, but not as they relate to food production.

As students consider STEM-related education, food or bakery science programs housed in the school of agriculture aren’t typically on the radar. They assume that department only consists of farming or veterinary science, when in reality it’s so much more.

I see this disconnect all the time. I have conversations with baking companies and associations about the lack of people available to hire, and I hear from K-State about the under-enrollment in these programs. We have to make students aware of these opportunities much, much sooner.

National programs from the Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) propel high school students toward STEM-related degrees and careers. CAPS blends business, science and engineering disciplines, and in Kansas City, Blue Valley CAPS has leaned on partners like Corbion to generate awareness for food science, as well.

The next generation may have a general awareness of food production and agriculture, but the baking industry can help them understand the role they can play in the food supply chain. Programs like CAPS are building the bridge, and when baking companies start the conversations with students at the high school or even middle school level, it’s a big step toward crossing it. CB

— Jennifer Bauer is the business development specialist for Blue Valley (BV) CAPS in Overland Park, KS. She works with partners across several STEM-related industries, including food and baking. In 2014, BV CAPS launched the Future of Food course in conjunction with K-State and its food-related business partners.