Abbie Childs

I teach on our Bakery and Patisserie Technology degree, covering subjects such as bread and confectionary, and I also have an interest in nutrition.

Prior to taking on my current role, I completed my degree at the college of food. During this time, I was winner of the Alliance for Bakery Students and Trainees (ABST) Horton Trophy and
Masters Award.

After graduation, I worked in hospitality for three years before returning to University College Birmingham as a temporary lecturer across both FE and HE courses.

One big misconception about the industry is that it’s a niche field with limited application, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Bakery science has practical purpose across the food industry, from product development to microbiology, and is a great basis for any number of careers, and I love having the chance to impress this upon our students.

Seeing students start their course with little prior knowledge and then develop their expertise fills me with immense pride. It’s inspirational to watch them build not only their skills but their confidence. It can happen over a period of weeks, or sometimes even over the course of a lesson; a student might come to class feeling nervous and leave feeling confident in what they’ve produced. I love to give them encouragement and see them flourish.

An open-door policy is integral to the way I offer support. Students know they can talk to me, or any of the staff, about any issues or struggles they might have and we’ll do our best to accommodate them. This might involve joining extra lessons, or meeting to go over work. Our students know we always try to go above and beyond to help them.

I also advise them to take full advantage of all available support, including the library, CASE, and HIRED. The University has so many incredible resources and they all make studying much easier.