The winners of AB Mauri’s Community Award 2022 were Collico - AB Mauri’s business in Chile - who created a fantastic programme to provide training for vulnerable, unemployed and otherwise disadvantaged people in bakery skills. Collico worked on this project alongside local foundation “Santo Tomás Educación Continua”, part of Universidad Santo Tomás, a well-known university in Chile, as well as a number of other local foundations and government organisations.
In its initial phase, 200 people from vulnerable groups were trained for free online to become certified Bakery and Pastry assistants for the artisan bakery industry. The classes were conducted online, reaching people in 12 different districts throughout the country. AB Mauri provided participants with all the ingredients and tools they needed in their own homes for these classes to be hands-on and practical.
151 students passed the course to become certified Bakery and Pastry Professionals. 60% now work in the artisanal bakery industry, including in Collico’s bakery clients. The project also demonstrates our commitment to local communities and the local artisanal baking industry. After the success of the first phase, the programme was renewed in 2023, with another 200 students picked from 5,000 applicants, this time with a mix of online learning and in-person workshops. Following the course over 90% of its graduates found work in the bakery/pastry chef sector.
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Website of El Fondo de Solidaridad e Inversión Social (FOSIS) of the Government of Chile