BDSI celebrates future industry technicians with annual awards

Some of the brightest young confectionery technicians in the sector were honoured at the annual general assembly of the Federal Association of German Confectionery Industry, (BDSI), as Neill Barston reports.

Accolades were presented for the best female student and the three top rated trainees within the sector, with the event taking place in digital format for the first time in its history due to the coronavirus crisis.

The organisation, chaired by Bastian Fassin, selected winners from candidates at the Technical University Ostwestfalen-Lippe in Lemgo, North Rhine-Westphalia, who had enrolled in the “Food Technology with a Focus on Bakery and Confectionery Technology” course.

This year, the best graduate for the 2019/2020 class was Annelen Schnieders (main image), who received this year’s BDSI sponsorship award.

Furthermore, three best apprentices in the apprenticeship “confectionery technologist /Confectionery Technologist “of the final year 2019 of the central technical school of German Confectionery Industry (ZDS), Solingen, are: – Susanne Reisnecker, Riegelein und Sohn, Cadolzburg (Specialisation: Chocolate goods and confectionery),  Mona Limbach, Confiserie Coppeneur et Compagnon, Bad Honnef (Specialisation: Chocolate goods and confectionery), and Lars Seger, Mars, Viersen (Specialisation: fine baked goods)

Apprenticeship as a confectionary technologist 

Confectionery technologists make a broad spectrum of products such as chocolate bars, sweets, cookies, ice cream or potato chips. As the BDSI explains, everyday work in training is very varied, operating and monitoring industrial plants that produce doughs and mixes according to given recipes for manufacturing all kinds of confectionery.

There are also a number of automated production steps in the preparation of raw materials to the packaging of the goods, with ingredients such as sugar, cocoa beans or nuts are weighed, dosed and, if necessary, automatically cleaned and crushed.

During the delivery of raw materials and during production, confectionery technologists sample, but also evaluate through visual inspection, smell and especially taste tests of the fact that the production process runs flawlessly and the products meet set standards. Confectionery technologists also control the machines and systems within each process and sometimes even intervene in the development of new products.

Since 2016, the industry has also been offering a dual degree in connection with the confectionery technologist. Received in dual studies, the students have a parallel vocational training and a company-related one. This combines preparation for professional life with scientifically sound theoretical expertise. The dual course of study lasts four and a half years and closes with the “Bachelor of Science Food Technology (baking and Confectionery Technology) ”or“ Bachelor of Science Food Technology. This takes place at the Technische Hochschule Ostwestfalen-Lippe (North Rhine-Westphalia) or at the Neubrandenburg University of Applied Sciences together with ZDS in Solingen.

 

 

 

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