Students make desserts during a bakery and pastry lesson in Yangon, Myanmar, Nov. 13, 2023. (Xinhua/Myo Kyaw Soe)
YANGON, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- With the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) special fund 2022, free bakery and pastry training courses have been offered in Myanmar since July 2023.
"What we are seeing today is the efforts of batch 4 students and the courses will be opened up to 10 batches under the project," course trainer Daw Chaw Su Khine told Xinhua on Monday.
"More than 40 dessert recipes are taught in the course. We teach baking techniques for both high-end baking and for market distribution. Both are useful for employment," she said.
Daw Chaw Su Khine said that the trainees learn both practical operation and theory every day. Lessons about kitchen organization, hygiene and food contamination are also included in the course, she said, adding that snacks made by students are donated to orphanages once per batch.
This course will be very beneficial to the students if they want to get employed or start their own business, a manager of the Bakery and Pastry Training Project, Daw Kay Thi Naing told Xinhua.
China is the main supporter of this project. They provide bakery equipment such as oven, mixer and uniform, daily allowances and raw materials, she added.
"We are truly grateful to China and LMC officials for helping to make this course possible. Most of the trainees have changed their careers after completing the course. We hope that more such courses and advanced courses are available in our country," she said.
The trainees shared how this training course under the LMC project is useful to them and their future plans after completing this course.
"This is a vocational course. So, it is beneficial to me. At first, I had no knowledge of bakery, but now I know about bakery. My job was a tour guide in the past. I want to change my career after this course and that is to go abroad and work as a baker there," Tun Tun Naing, 35, told Xinhua.
Yupar, 33, said, "I joined this course to start a small business with my friend. I sell waffles at my home shop and I want to add more recipes to my shop. So, this course is very helpful to me".
"One thing is for sure, I can't make all the breads and cakes I learn here because we here use different baking equipment," she added.
"My desire is to share this bakery course as a trainer in less developed areas in Myanmar. Foundation is the basis of every work. This course can give the foundation very well. So, it will be beneficial when we level up," May Oo Aung, 30, told Xinhua.
Kyaw Kyaw Aung, a 24-year-old trainee, said, "I want to open a small coffee shop. "
"The teachers are very caring and patient even if it is a free course. The certificate is very useful for employment such as going abroad or running our own business with that certificate," Kyaw Kyaw Aung noted.
Anyone between the ages of 18 and 40 can join the course. Twenty people are selected for one batch. The applicants, during an interview, are asked to answer the questions why they join the course and what are their next-stage plans after completing the course.
The basic course will be held 10 times and the Training of Trainers (ToT) will be held 5 times. People who have at least 3 years of experience in bakery and learn the basic course very well could be the candidates for ToT courses.
The certificate is a national-level certificate with the logo of the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism and that of the LMC, which is a very helpful one in seeking employment opportunities, the project manager told Xinhua. ■
Students learn to make desserts during a bakery and pastry lesson in Yangon, Myanmar, Nov. 13, 2023. (Xinhua/Myo Kyaw Soe)
Students make desserts during a bakery and pastry lesson in Yangon, Myanmar, Nov. 13, 2023. (Xinhua/Myo Kyaw Soe)