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TAFE graduate loves role at AEGIC

Baking whiz and TAFE NSW student Sabrina Lim knows precisely what she needs to progress her career.

After graduating university in 2016, Sabrina landed a job as a food scientist in baking at the prestigious Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre (AEGIC), researching and testing Australian wheat varieties.

Australian wheat has an excellent reputation and is in demand in international markets, especially in Asia. About 65-75 per cent of Australia’s total wheat production is exported each year.

“My role at AEGIC Sydney involves a variety of tests on wheat varieties, working with cakes, sponges and bread, researching how different flours perform in terms of texture and crumb structure,” Lim said.

When an opportunity to expand her skills and knowledge of baking at TAFE NSW Ryde came up, she leapt on it.

“Each year AEGIC runs the LA Judge Award for Baking Apprentice of the Year, and one of the judges was TAFE NSW teacher Denise McCallum. She suggested I enrol in the Certificate III in Retail Baking to expand my skills.”

Lim completed the Certificate III one day a week while working and is grateful she was able to fit her study around work and home life.

“I’ve always been a keen home baker, and the TAFE NSW course gave me fun, practical experience working with different baked goods. The knowledge I gained has helped round out my understanding of how different varieties of flours can be used to produce different results.”

The grains industry makes an essential contribution to the Australian economy. In 2017–18, production of grains, oilseeds and pulse crops accounted for around 21 per cent ($12.8 billion) of the total gross value of farm production and about 23 per cent of the total value of farm export income.

AEGIC increases value in the Australian grains industry by gathering, analysing and sharing market intelligence the industry needs to breed, classify, grow and supply grain that markets prefer. AEGIC has offices in Perth and Sydney staffed by leading industry experts. Facilities include research laboratories, a pilot mill, pilot bakery and commercial analytical laboratories.

Lim’s supervisor at AEGIC said, “The skills Sabrina acquired at TAFE NSW have made her a valuable asset to us.”

“The cake and pastry knowledge Sabrina gained through TAFE NSW has been especially appreciated. Sabrina is a joy to work with and perfectly complements our team.”

Lim said her teachers at TAFE NSW gave her the drive she needed to succeed and provided compelling and engaging course content.

“The teachers at TAFE NSW were incredible and took an interest in what I was doing at work and encouraged me on a personal level to succeed. I also run training courses as part of my job and have adapted my own teaching style based on the methods of the teachers I had at TAFE NSW.”

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