Introduction
In spite of the fact that baking is frequently perceived as a hobby, this activity offers a variety of opportunities for career development. In fact, the modern food industry has broadened its horizons to the extent that it is difficult to imagine life without bread, pastries, and other baked goods.
Nowadays, there are no educational requirements for the profession of a baker or pastry artist, as the majority of employers pay attention to the work experience rather than educational background.
In order to become a successful baker, it is essential to take into consideration apprenticeship in the first place. It can be explained by the fact that the position of an apprentice helps get practical experience in a real working environment and earn money since the first day of work. Even though college education provides the opportunity to increase the level of awareness of pastry arts from different perspectives, this option does not give appropriate practical experience.
Proof paragraph
Apprenticeship is an excellent opportunity to earn money from the first day of working, although its minimum wage is low. On the one hand, the choice between college programs and apprenticeship depends on personal preferences, abilities, and goals. On the other hand, in terms of baking and pastry arts, there is no sense to join college courses.
While clinicians and policemen require an educational background, bakers should focus on practical experience and the development of professional skills. For instance, to become a certified bakery specialist, the person should obtain at least 5 years of experience in the food industry (Kostyuchenko et al., 2019). Therefore, while some individuals learn new information at college, the other group of people can get national certification. Moreover, even though the average starting salaries of pastry artists are typically low, at around $23,000 per year, it is still bigger than the salaries of college students (MartĂnez-MonzĂł et al., 2013). Apprentices have the opportunity to be occupied at full-time jobs, whereas college students are unable to earn the same money due to the lack of time.
It is expected that the employment of pastry artists will grow by at least 6% this decade (Kostyuchenko et al., 2019). In turn, candidates with vast practical experience will be taken into account first and foremost. Thus, in order to achieve the goal of becoming a successful baker or pastry artist, it is important to begin working in this industry at an early age.
The apprenticeship can be finished with a nationally recognized qualification which will be used for career development in the future. Some people tend to believe that working for someone who already has skills and experience is a self-destructive activity that will never offer people the opportunity to take up positions of authority. However, this belief can be considered a myth.
In the period of 12 months, the majority of representatives of apprentices can gain a qualification confirming a high level of knowledge in the area of bakery and pastry arts (Arrieta et al., 2018). For example, it can be either the technical certificate, functional skill qualification, knowledge-based qualification, or nationally recognized qualification. At the same time, this document is beneficial for building a career in the food industry. In fact, employers are more likely to hire a candidate with a certificate related to the apprenticeship than a person with a college diploma.
The research demonstrates that nearly 85% of apprentices decide to keep building a career in a particular area once the apprenticeship is over (Smith, 2019). Simultaneously, the majority of college graduates change their area of development after finishing the process of studying. For instance, approximately 40% of individuals who have completed higher education state that they change their occupation after graduating (Smith, 2019). Hence, statistics demonstrate that apprenticeship provides a great opportunity to develop professional skills in a specific area and become successful professionals who can increase the capacity to make a living. In case apprentices do not find the selected profession satisfying, they can always change their occupation, whereas college students are usually required to keep studying till graduation.
Counter-argument
There is no doubt that education plays a prominent role in modern society. As a result, millions of people from all over the world aim to go to college and increase economic stability in the future. Supporters of the idea to choose college programs over apprenticeship state that universities respect A-Levels more than apprenticeship qualifications. Therefore, a certificate from the position of an apprentice creates difficulties for the potential higher education. On the other hand, this belief can be considered accurate. On the other hand, apprentices usually do not aim to get a higher education, which can be explained by considerable success in their professional life.
Most frequently, universities take A Levels to accept students onto courses. It can be explained by the fact that universities are associated with wide employment options and good salaries. Therefore, in order to get these advantages in the future, individuals are required to put effort into passing exams and studying. As a result, studying at university benefits the overall development as a person from different perspectives. If the students are focused on the process of learning new information to the fullest extent, they will be able to become multifaceted professionals.
However, studying at university is also associated with a variety of disadvantages. For instance, universities are time-consuming and costly. In fact, tuition fees can reach $50,000 per year in some of the universities of the US (Shanaida et al., 2019). In turn, people working on the position of the apprentice have the opportunity to earn over $20,000 per year. Furthermore, university students spend nearly 4 hours engaged in educational activities and 2-3 hours studying at home (Shanaida et al., 2019). In addition, university students usually are not able to improve practical skills in work due to the lack of time. Therefore, apprentices prefer to keep building a career rather than going to university.
Conclusion
Bakers and pastry artists have a variety of options to build a career in the food industry. However, some options are more beneficial for further development than others. In the context of the bakery, apprenticeship should be perceived as the most effective way to improve theoretical knowledge and practical skills in this area. It can be explained by the fact that working as an apprentice is associated with earning money since the first day of working and numerous career opportunities in the future.
Taking into consideration that the profession of baker and pastry artist does not require an educational background, the representatives of this occupation should pay attention to an apprenticeship. This system for training a new generation of practitioners is useful, as it combines theoretical teaching and practical experience. In turn, the process of working under a certified expert helps people get a qualification contributing to further professional development.
References
Arrieta, M., Wells, N., Parker, L., Hudson, A., & Crook, E. (2018). Research apprenticeship and its potential as a distinct model of peer research practice. Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action, 12(2), 199-214. Web.
Kostyuchenko, M., Kosovan, A., Shaposhnikov, I., & Martirosyan, V. (2019). The bakery products market in the globalization economy conditions: Institutional changes and trends in the development of consumer behavior and competitive strategies. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, 240(2), 500-504. Web.
MartĂnez-MonzĂł, J., GarcĂa-Segovia, P., & Albors-Garrigos, J. (2013). Trends and innovations in bread, bakery, and pastry. Journal of Culinary Science & Technology, 11(1), 56-65. Web.
Shanaida, V., Vitenko, T., Drozdziel, P., & Madlenak, R. (2019). The role of education and research in the learning process of university students. International Technology, Education and Development Conference, 12(3), 1-12. Web.
Smith, E. (2019). Apprenticeships and âfuture workâ: Are we ready? International Journal of Training and Development, 23(1), 69-88. Web.