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The Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) has recently been emphasizing on the need for workers to upgrade their skills. The importance of skills upgrading is because – |
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| Employers are looking for workers with the right skills. |
| Many job opportunities are skills based. |
| Skills advancement is important to stay employable. |
| Learning a new skill can help to advance one’s career. |
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The WDA provides workers with different upgrading options, all aimed at taking careers to the next level. |
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The Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) certification (WSQ) is a continuing education and training system that facilitates adult learning, make skills upgrading more accessible to our workforce and provides career progression pathways for them. |
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One such WSQ certified training provider in the dynamic Food & Beverage industry is Baking Industry Training Centre (BITC), Singapore - Asia’s premier baking academy. We chat with Mr Fabian Doh, principal of BITC, about the job prospects for a pastry chef.
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Fabian has more than 15 years of experience working as a pastry chef in the Hospitality sector. He started his baking calling in some of the regions famed hotels and continued to gain his experience in the arts of Baking and Pastry. In 1981, he graduated in the Baking Science and Technology course.
In 1990, he advanced in the finer skills of the baking craft in Schwyz and Zurich, Switzerland. After more than 15 years in the hospitality sector, with the wide exposure, training and experiential challenges as a Pastry Chef; has since been a great plus point.
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His passion and leadership at the BITC for the past 12 years goes beyond helping up-and-coming Chef-instructors to become respectable and accomplished professionals by sharing his vast experience.
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A pastry chef or pâtissier is skilled in the making of pastries, desserts, and other baked goods. They are employed in large hotels, bistros, restaurants, and bakeries. The pastry chef is often in charge of the dessert menu, which besides traditional desserts may include dessert wines, specialty dessert beverages, and gourmet cheese platters. |
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To start with, being a pastry chef is more than just simply weighing flour. There is a lot of detailed aspects of baking that a pastry chef must learn and understand, such as a baker’s formulation for making breads and pastries, how to cut and trim the bread, etc. A pastry chef’s areas of expertise can include making bread, bagels, cakes, chocolates and even ice cream.
Pastry chefs should have an eye for detail, and artistic flair as they are working with horizons of colours. They are making foods that must not only taste good, but also look good – presentation and visual appeal is important too.
Definitely. For those who are willing to work hard and are passionate about being a pastry chef, there are abundant opportunities to succeed. In fact, I believe in the 3 Ds – Dedication, Determination and Discipline. The hospitality industry is always steady and growing each year, and so is the demand for pastry chefs. |
One can choose to work in hotels, cafes, resorts, cruise ships – all really exciting and pleasant working environments. Furthermore, being a pastry chef is a skill that enables you to work anywhere in the world. For those who wish to set up their own business, being a pastry chef provides the perfect platform to do so.
In Singapore, the employment prospects for pastry chefs are definitely bright, especially with the booming Tourism industry that will soon welcome the Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World at Sentosa Integrated Resorts.
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BITC courses focus on the practical and technical aspects of baking. By combining technical information with practical activities, students will benefit and learn the skills in baking. We are also the cornerstone for bakery education, an integral part for the Food and Beverage industry. Our know-how and training services are enhanced by contributions from our professional chef-instructors with international industry experience. |
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