A career kit with information on the types of opportunities available in grain milling. What kind of work is on offer? What kinds of skills does one need to have? Where can someone get a formal education in grain milling? Are there any vocational training programs available that don’t require a four- or five-year degree? What are the starting salaries?
The milling industry is a worldwide trade involving the processing of wheat, durum, corn or maize, rice, and other grains into flour, semolina, meals, and other products. This process, also known as particle size reduction, requires the ability to continuously monitor incoming wheat and outgoing flour, and the adjustment of highly technical milling equipment in order to obtain high-quality finished products. These finished products are used to make bread, cakes, pastas, biscuits, cookies and many other foods.
While the trend globally has been to have fewer but larger milling companies, the world continues to rapidly increase its production of flour and other cereal grain products. Flour mills today operate using state-of-the-art machinery and highly-skilled personnel. As the world continues to grow in wealth and population, efficient processing of cereal grains, which provide nearly half of the world’s caloric demand, will be critical to satisfying the global diet.
Milling grain into flour of the desired qualities is a very challenging task. Millers all over the world today have the same goals of producing a product that meets the buyer’s specifications. This is not an easy task since each year’s crop of grain will always have different qualities and characteristics. Yet skilled millers are able to take the given grain and create the finished products that will satisfy the needs and tastes of the customer.
