ORLANDO, FL — Almost every industry is facing a significant workforce shortage in the coming years, including commercial baking. To address this challenge, professional conferences typically include at least one education session that discusses practical solutions to attracting and retaining high-performing employees.
During BakingTECH 2025, the American Society of Baking’s annual industry event, which was held Feb. 15-19, in Orlando, FL, Jennifer Lindsey, chief marketing, digital and transformation officer at Corbion, and Nate Clayberg, business and industry director with the Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) Network, discussed the CAPS Network and its role in attracting high school students to baking industry careers.
“The baking industry is in competition for the young minds and talent of the future, and we’re not winning that competition right now,” Lindsey said. “But we can if we tap into the CAPS model.”
CAPS is a profession-based learning program available to high school students across the US. It connects young talent with industry partners that represent a range of learning strands — engineering, food science, medicine, business, law and aeronautical, to name just a few — to introduce them to career pathways they may not have considered. The strands available to students are based on the communities of the surrounding school districts and the local industries willing to participate.
“Learning about the commercial baking industry doesn’t happen in a school day,” Clayberg said. “That’s what happens in CAPS. We’re based on five core values: Professional Skills Development, Entrepreneurial Mindset, Responsiveness, Self-Discovery and Exploration, and Profession-based Learning. That’s how we evaluate, coach and support our affiliates.”
What sets the program apart is that it’s designed to develop next-gen talent that has the skills required to meet the real-world needs of area industries. The framework mirrors how companies conduct business on a day-to-day basis, with students interacting with peers and professionals across disciplines, conducting research and presenting ideas, similar to tasks they will be expected to complete when they begin their professional career. Along the way, students also learn the soft skills they’ll need to be successful in their chosen careers.
“For example, CAPS students in the food science strand learn how to mine and identify trends from multiple sources using STEP analysis, which helps them understand how external societal, technological, economic and political factors affect those trends,” Lindsey said. “They develop their own product prototype, conduct break-even and competitive SWOT analyses, and pitch their product to industry-related judges in a shark tank environment.”
CAPS and the baking industry: getting involved
The first step in engaging with the CAPS Network is starting the conversation. Company representatives meet with industry and university educators to discuss the business’s current needs and develop the framework for the program.
“The educators do the heavy lifting,” Lindsey said. “They need a few hours of the company representative’s time here and there for virtual calls, and the representatives typically meet with students in person to create awareness for the program. Once the framework is in place, the educators launch the course.”
Companies that may not be able to fully engage in their local CAPS program but that are interested in exploring profession-based learning can visit experience.work, an educational platform powered by the CAPS Network and American Student. The website features authentic experiences, practical resources and tools to help businesses launch profession-based learning in their communities.
“If the people aren’t there to do the work in these industries, our world will be in a world of hurt,” Clayberg said. “CAPS is about putting new opportunities in front of students and showcasing what the program offers.”
