The route, drawn out
DWG 6234 · 4 stops · 1 year to qualify-
Day one Start as an apprentice from £15.6k
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1 year Fully qualified around £24k
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+3–5 years Experienced up to £34k
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Then Your own business you set the rate
The first figures are legal minimums: the apprentice rate (£8.00/hr) and the National Minimum Wage for 18–20s and 21+ from April 2026, on a 37.5-hour week. Qualified and experienced pay are indicative UK ranges — most employers pay apprentices above the minimum.
What the job is
Baking splits between craft bakery — early starts, hand-shaped bread, direct customers — and plant bakery, which is food manufacturing at scale with shift patterns and machinery.
The apprenticeship covers fermentation, doughs, pastry and finishing plus the food safety that governs all of it. Craft bakery has had a genuine revival, and skilled bakers can build a small business on a local reputation.
A typical day
- Mix, prove, shape and bake doughs to recipe
- Produce pastries, cakes and finished goods
- Control fermentation, temperature and timing
- Maintain food safety, allergen and hygiene standards
- Manage stock, waste and production schedules
How you get in
- No formal qualifications required for most level 2 apprenticeships
- You must be comfortable with very early starts
- Accuracy with weights, timings and temperatures
- Food hygiene training is provided
Where it leads
- Advanced baker and specialist patisserie qualifications
- Production supervisor in plant bakery
- Head baker in a craft bakery
- Your own bakery or wholesale supply business
Where to train for this
11 colleges and training providers on our list cover Baker training. Open your region to see them, then check current intakes with the provider directly.