Brød

Brød’s story

A Pontcanna-based bakery is encouraging other businesses to choose apprenticeships as a way of bringing innovative ideas into the workplace.

Brød, the Danish Bakery and Coffee Shop which opened in 2015, was inspired by owner Betina Skovbro’s desire to bring traditional Danish baking to Wales’ capital city. In doing so, it also created a unique opportunity to train the next generation of baking professionals in the craft of Danish baking.

Apprenticeships were the clear choice to recruit and train staff

Owner of the bakery Betina said:“For us, hiring apprentices is the ideal way to train our staff, as they learn the precise techniques, we need at the bakery to make our unique products. We often find that our apprentices learn much quicker on the job than they would in a different learning environment, and it’s wonderful to see them developing and growing so quickly.

“We’re proud that one of our very first apprentice has now developed to such a degree that she is now a full-time baker. We are able to tap into her experience, to help inform our plans for training future apprentices, where she now plays a vital role in helping develop our next generation of bakers.

“We know she’ll continue to help our business develop, especially with the added pressure of the second site opening, with her fresh ideas and consistent eagerness to improve her techniques.”
A second site will be opening located in Penarth in 2020 creating 15 -18 new positions, doubling the company’s overall baking output.

Head baker promotion within a year

Having always been a keen baker, Rebekah Chatfield, 24 from Abertillery, had assumed she would have needed years of expensive training to pursue patisserie as a career.

In March 2017, Rebekah enrolled onto a Level 3 Certificate in Proficiency in Baking Industry Skills, delivered by Cambrian Training, which involved working full time in the bakery kitchen and taking quarterly practical exams on-site.

She said: “Finding an apprenticeship really changed my perspective on career opportunities and I feel it’s opened so many doors for me to work in an industry I’m genuinely passionate about. I’ve been promoted to Head Baker in just one year, taking on management responsibilities, which goes to show that my apprenticeship and practical training has been the perfect fit.”