“I love to bake… baking is my passion, so it was like a dream come true to find out that I could bake instead of going to school. I reached out to staff at my school who helped me through the process of applying for the program at Vancouver Community College,” said Aliya, Grade 12 student at Seaquam Secondary School.
Aliya attended VCC in 2019/2020 to complete the Baking Arts and Pastry Train in Trades program. Very few Grade 11 students are accepted onto the course. “Before my interview at VCC, I had to remind myself to believe in myself to give myself confidence that I could get into the program. I took a portfolio of photos of my baking to show them what I was capable of, and made sure to stress just how eager I was to learn more.”
Her passion paid off, and Aliya soon found herself juggling college, high school and jobs at two different bakeries, Happy Cakes and Just Cakes Bakeshop. She was amazed at just how much she learnt in six months and found herself baking products that she never would have imagined she would be able to. Aliya is now in the Work in Trades program and is already on the waitlist to go back to VCC to complete her Level 2 certificate.
“My goal is to gain my Red Seal and get as much experience working in different bakeries as possible. I’ve worked in three different bakeries already, and each one has taught me so much. It’s great to be able to learn new techniques and experience different ways of doing things. At the end of the day, I just love to create things, and I like sharing with others. So, baking and cake decorating is the perfect career for me. One of my favourite things to do is to personalize cakes so that they are really special for the recipient.”
Her advice to others considering a career in trades: “Believe in yourself. You can do more than you expect. Work hard and have fun with your career choice! Also, document your work. I post photos of my creations on Instagram as once they are eaten, they are gone! It’s great to be able to see how far I’ve progressed over the years and be reminded of all the different things that I’ve made.”
Learn more about a career in trades at: https://deltalearns.ca/careers/