A first class German education

摘要

Passing down skills to the next generation of confectioners is something that Andreas Bertram believes is of vital importance. As the managing director of ZDS, Germany's key confectionery college, explains, it's been a mission that he has found greatly rewarding as the organisation continues to evolve. Having spent four years there in his youth as a technical instructor at its key site at Sollingen, North Rhine-Westphalia, he enjoyed a varied career in the sector, including a senior post at snacks firm General Biscuits, before realising a calling in returning to his confectionery roots in 2005 to take on his present role. "Once ZDS, always ZDS," he laughs, revealing the motto of his college that he has lived by as he continues to play a pivotal role in the development of its facilities and capabilities. As he explains, the training site offers a very direct hands-on experience for its students, who have traditionally attended not just from Germany, but also across Europe.