AIRWAY HEIGHTS, AQUARIUS – After the supplier discontinued the bread base for the Washington State Correctional Industries (CI) nutrition program, customers noticed the change – and not in a good way.
“We’ve had pretty much a constant stream of very legitimate complaints from customers,” said Bryan Barlow, food production manager at the Airway Heights, Washington, Corrections Center, where the food program is located.
The meal program, which provides meals to the Washington Department of Corrections, county jails and the state’s Meals on Wheels programs, serves approximately 128 inmates.
As he worked to get the bread sector back on track, Barlow knew he also needed to improve the training of his workers.
Staff turnover is high because they go through a variety of courses and other programs as part of their rehabilitation, so the need for training is continuous. Barlow estimates that up to half of the program’s staff are in training at any one time.
A few months ago, he contacted Andrew Barker, curriculum designer at AMF Bakery Systems, and asked for help.
“We developed our own training and I came across AMF as a solution that helped me with a training program for the basics of bread making,” said Barlow. “I’m super glad I did that.”
Although Barker initially thought he would help out with training videos on equipment, it quickly became clear that what WCI needed more help with teaching the basics of baking.
“This way they learn the procedures rather than each individual device, which they then become familiar with in practice,” said Barker.
Together, Barlow and Barker have developed four training videos that cover, among other things, the basics of baking and mixing, as well as the importance of rising.
The videos have been in use for about six to seven months and are integrated into training for workers. These baking fundamentals are combined with further instruction on the bakery’s processes and equipment, which is certified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The facility produces the equivalent of a $24 million food factory annually, Barlow said.
“We’ve also taken the opportunity to incorporate safety into the training,” Barlow said. “We take photos of bottlenecks and show them how to lift properly in our actual process while watching the video. That’s proven to be very successful for us.”
Baked goods produced at the facility include bread, rolls, buns, cookies, muffins and more.
The bakery produces complete meals that are frozen before being shipped to other parts of the state. The Food Factory/Food Manufacturing program is part of CI, which is under the Reentry Division of the Washington Department of Corrections. CI employs approximately 1,500 inmates and provides opportunities in 11 different prisons across the state.
Prisons are home to a variety of industries. One of these factories manufactures furniture, and another has an optical lab that produces an average of 10,500 pairs of glasses per month for children in the state’s low-income programs, according to Mimi Jansen, brand and mission administrator for Washington State CI.
Not only do workers learn how to make these items, but they also acquire social skills that help them succeed in the work environment.
Barker said AMF recognizes the importance of working with WCI for several reasons, including to support the training of inmates who could become valuable workers for their clients, who are always looking for employees.
“Many of our clients say that not only do they have a lot of problems with turnover, but the people applying for these positions now often have no previous experience in baking,” Barker said. “It’s really helpful to have someone who knows how to bake bread. It also gives those people an advantage over the other applicants for these new positions.”
Barlow said the videos have helped improve products – complaints are virtually non-existent – and he hopes it has given workers a head start when they leave prison and look for a job.
“They can articulate the process in an industry-standard way,” he said. “So when they go in for an interview, I think it will serve them well. And that’s what we’re preparing them for. We hope they can use the skills and get a job.”
Barlow has no current plans to produce more videos, but would like to expand the training program in the future to teach employees more about the other baked goods they make.
