New Zealand Diploma in Baking (Level 5)

Program Overview

This program elevates bakers to bakery managers, teaching them to lead commercial or boutique operations. Through hands-on industry placements, students gain essential skills, including team leadership, bakery design, and quality assurance. The program provides a solid foundation for careers as bakery specialists, business owners, or supervisors. Its flexible schedule and experienced faculty make it a sought-after qualification in the baking industry.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

Take your career in baking to new heights and go from baker to bakery manager with this industry-leading qualification. You will learn how to manage commercial and boutique bakeries. You could lead a team in baking thousands of loaves of bread every day for a big food manufacturer. Or, realise your dream of opening your own boutique bakery or café. Includes 210 hours of industry placement from commercial to boutique bakeries. Prior to enrolling it is required that you have completed the New Zealand Certificate in Baking (Level 4) or have recognition of prior learning and evidence of work experience.

Outline:

You will need to complete the below seven courses (120 credits):

• 471.504 New approaches to baking technologies and techniques (15 credits): Apply the knowledge you have gained in your studies to explore the application of new approaches, techniques and technologies in the baking industry.
• 471.506 Bakery product design (15 credits): Explore the concepts behind producing decorative products; present a complex celebration cake based on your own research and design.
• 471.508 Practical team leadership skills in a bakery (15 credits): Develop team leadership skills in bakery production and retail areas and planning operational activities; plan and implement bakery staff rosters; lead individuals and teams to achieve a pre-determined goal; and ensure personal and bakery team compliance with safe food handling, personal hygiene, and occupational health and safety practices.
• 472.505 Production and quality assurance of baked goods (15 credits): In this course, you will learn how to identify, analyse and correct faults in baked products as well as how to evaluate the success of corrective measures applied to the new baked products.
• 472.506 Bakery business design (15 credits): Learn about business principles of bakery design and management.
• 472.507 Baking industry placement (15 credits): Spend 105 hours working in a commercial baking environment with a food safety programme in place, applying advanced baking knowledge and skills and techniques developed in the production of baked goods to industry standards.
• 472.508 Specialist baking industry placement (15 credits): Work in a commercial baking environment with a food safety programme in place, applying advanced baking knowledge and skills to produce a range of specialist bakery products in a craft or plant baking environment.

Careers:

Bakery specialist, bakery business owner or bakery supervisor.

Other:

• The timetable suits and also gave me the flexibility to work part-time.
• The field trips and industry-based knowledge became invaluable when setting up my own business.
• The lecturers were extremely knowledgeable, experienced, and helpful.
• My employer is a former MIT graduate so she knew what I could bring to the job.
• If you love good food, and you love to eat, that's what will motivate you to go into the industry.