Students at a Mississauga Catholic high school can now train for careers in baking through a partnership with a global bakery ingredients company that has a facility in the city.
Puratos Canada has opened a bakery school program at Father Michael Goetz Catholic Secondary School, part of the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, insauga.com reported on Wednesday. It is the first school in Canada to join the company's program, and students earn high school credits for the course work.
Close to industry
The school's location near the Puratos facility on Slate Drive means students can meet people working in the industry through guest speakers, program support and mentorship. The company says the goal is to turn classroom lessons into a launching point for careers, with students building skills and connections alongside professionals.
Puratos, founded in Belgium in 1919, supplies ingredients and services to bakery, pastry and chocolate businesses in more than 100 countries. It aims to run 20 bakery schools around the world by 2030, teaching about 1,000 students a year.
Filling a labour gap
The program is designed to respond to ongoing shortages of skilled workers in baking and food manufacturing, as well as gaps in youth employment in underserved communities. It is also meant to offer an inclusive path for neurodivergent students, who are expected to make up about half of the participants.
There is a clear shortage of skilled labour in the Canadian baking industry.
— Michael Simone, president, Puratos Canada
Puratos said several of its key customers have given verbal commitments to support the program, with an eye to hiring its graduates to fill their own staffing needs.
Marianne Mazzorato, the board's director of education, said the program offers students opportunities not found elsewhere in the school system, allowing them to explore or pursue a career in food service.
