Phase II Internships Begin! JOBBers Step Into New Roles
In July, with the completion of the Western-style Pastry Chef Certification exam, the teaching portion of the second phase of the JOBB Vocational Empowerment Program successfully came to a close. What follows is a three-month internship journey, marking the next critical stage of the program.
Internships form the essential bridge in the JOBB model: they signify that students are stepping out of the familiar “training ground” and into the real workplace, putting their intensive learning into practice and validating the outcomes of their studies.
Currently, Phase II students have been placed into two internship tracks:
Some are assigned to positions within the baking industry, such as production factories and retail bakeries.
Others remain in the JOBB Baking Classroom, working in pairs to operate the JOBB Café’s bakery counter.
Rising to the Challenge
Six students from Xinjiang began internships at different enterprises this month.
Xiao Ai, Naibi, Xiao Xu, and Xiao Bu joined a bakery production factory. Unlike customer-facing bakeries, factories demand standardized, large-scale production skills. Here, the students deepened their knowledge of food hygiene, standardized procedures, and quality control—fundamental elements of the baking supply chain.
The four students were assigned to the same team, taking on roles such as dough mixing, portioning and shaping, and baking, carrying forward the teamwork they developed during their JOBB training.
The factory’s workflow proved more intensive than training, with schedules shifting according to order volume and occasional urgent tasks requiring flexibility. Fortunately, thanks to the solid foundation built at JOBB, the students quickly adapted. Their supervisors praised their ability to apply skills directly in the workplace.
Xiao Ai, responsible for dough mixing, shared that she now averages 13 batches of dough a day—each batch producing 20–30 loaves of bread.
Steady Progress
Though young, Amir is determined to continue building his career in Shanghai. He successfully passed the trial exam at a dessert shop near Zhongshan Park and now works in the kitchen, focusing on pastries such as cream puffs and butter cookies—the very recipes practiced repeatedly during JOBB training, now finally applied in a professional setting.
Another student, Xiao Ma, also passed an interview at Huma Bakery and began a two-month internship there last Friday.
Goal: Standing on Their Own
Abuduxukur Abudukeremu and Xiao Miao are interning at the JOBB Café bakery corner, building hands-on experience as preparation for future placements. Each day, they are paired with a student with special learning needs, taking responsibility for the full cycle of production, presentation, and sales.
Transitioning from Western cuisine to French bread baking, Xiao Miao found this stage particularly valuable, helping her gain confidence and fluency in baking.
The JOBB Café produces six varieties of breads and pastries daily. Dough preparation and mise en place take place the day before, with baking and cleaning the following day. This rotation requires Xiao Miao and Abuduxukur to develop precise coordination of kitchen operations.
Meanwhile, three special students—Xiao Pang, Xiao Yao, and Xinjia—actively support the team, offering bread samples to office workers in the food court, introducing JOBB’s products, and helping with preparation and sales during the lunch rush.
The bakery corner at JOBB Café was designed to provide an immersive professional environment where students could learn by doing—gaining real sales experience while familiarizing themselves with both back-of-house and front-of-house operations.
For the Xinjiang students, who were less accustomed to interacting with customers directly, running the bakery counter independently offered an invaluable trial-by-fire. Engaging in live customer interactions not only boosted their confidence but also nurtured basic consumer insight skills—practical competencies that will significantly enhance their employability.