Literacy in the bakery

(published June 2000)

Literacy is a bigger problem for our trade than we care to admit. I’m not talking about faultless grammar, or extraordinary vocabulary. Simply being able to read and write in a basic form. I regret the times I’ve berated an employee for not following written method, or seen instructions disregarded for the cleaning routine, only to be told in a quieter moment that he can’t read.

Occasionally dyslexia has been the explanation, but too often lack of education has been the cause. And it angers me. Yes, I’ve thought perhaps they might be lying, hiding a careless and casual approach to work behind a glib claim, but I’ve been proven wrong. Some of our employees cannot read, and this is a problem we must be more open and aware of.

As a trade we have often been one of few options for students who fail in our school system. Many hardworking, dedicated and loyal bakers strengthen our craft, only to be hindered by a fear of the written word. How can this be?. When I look at illegible handwriting, or face an employee in panic as he is faced with a safety manual, it deeply concerns me. For once a student leaves our education system, a fair amount of onus and duty falls upon us to continue a young employees education. Not just to create an understanding of safety and responsibility in the workplace, but to enrich and further our craft.

The scholar bakers of a hundred years ago, such as Jago, Kirkland, and Goodfellow, demonstrated in rich detailed text the breadth of knowledge we have in our craft to pass on to students. We might find fault with their work now, and question assumptions and beliefs they held true. But their text showed just how necessary it is to offer more than a list of percentages and scant method to describe our work, if we are to create excellence in the workplace.

Now, if I have employees who cannot read the label on a bottle of detergent, yet demonstrate a willingness and care towards their routine work, how can I hope to pass on more than a small percentage of that knowledge to them. Listen, I know how to talk and demonstrate, but I know that nothing can replace the clarity given by the ability to read and write.

Certainly, for the fortunate students who leave our dedicated bakery colleges around the country, we know they leave college with a comparatively strong grounding in the theory of our trade. However, many aspiring bakers join our ranks as unskilled labour, too often cheap labour working in plant bakeries to satisfy the ‘hand-made’ claim from factory producers.

I believe that we have a duty to offer the possibility of betterment to these men, beyond the meagre wage packet, and literacy is a fine place to start. Be vigilant and identify employees who are struggling to read and write, take them to one side and talk sensitively and quietly to them, and offer careful guidance. Find out about adult education in your area, get the leaflets and have them available. It’s a simple and easy thing for us to offer, and will make a difference to the quality and outlook within your bakery.