Bee Farmers apprenticeship scheme

[Michael Palmer]

Too bad they can't come here.

 

[Hedgerow Honey]

My no 1 daughter is twelve and is looking at the scheme as an option she is really keen when not glued to her phone and luckily has a boyfriend who also has bees.

 

[daroco]

I'd have loved the chance to have done an apprenticeship in bee farming. I'd still really like to get the chance to work for a bee farmer for a week or so in my summer break. Any takers?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I'd have loved the chance to have done an apprenticeship in bee farming. I'd still really like to get the chance to work for a bee farmer for a week or so in my summer break. Any takers?

Time to resurrect this maybe...........

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=15235

 

[Jimmy]

I'd have loved the chance to have done an apprenticeship in bee farming. I'd still really like to get the chance to work for a bee farmer for a week or so in my summer break. Any takers?

Get in touch with Alex Ellis of the BFA, he should be able to give you some contacts.
Or look on Facebook for Simmons Apiaries - he's done some bee farming experience weekends

 

[REDWOOD]

Can you teach an old dog new tricks?

You can but only if they want to

I think in this game you have to keep up and not get your feet too stuck in the mud. We have Asian Hornets and SHB on our door steps so any beekeeper says they know it all, well think again !

 

[Vortex]

This afternoons 1st lecture at the honey show was given by David and 3 of the 2nd intake, now in their second year.
Unfortunately it was really poorly attended, but the key message is that the current scheme is limited by the inability to place students. The currently have a significant waiting list and the application for this years intake exceeds 200 for potentially 10 places.

 

[wavey100]

If ya fancy a week in Yorkshire I could always use a hand !!

 

[Into the lions den]

This afternoons 1st lecture at the honey show was given by David and 3 of the 2nd intake, now in their second year.
Unfortunately it was really poorly attended, but the key message is that the current scheme is limited by the inability to place students. The currently have a significant waiting list and the application for this years intake exceeds 200 for potentially 10 places.

Many bee farmers do not actually want apprentices, so the openings are few. I was discussing this with a board member only yesterday.

Despite being the chairman at the time the scheme was launched and probably having the biggest opening for new starters, we prefer to train in house. That you cannot get a placement on the formal scheme does not mean there are no openings to learn sharp end bee farming, but they are very few, as by far the majority of bee farms are not even a full time job for the operator, far less be able to take someone on.

If you want hands on bee farm training you need to get hold of a copy of the BFA yearbook, and start contacting folk in your area of choice. There are probably more openings that way than through the scheme.

 

[REDWOOD]

Whats the difference in in house training and the Apprenticeship syllabus ?

 

[daroco]

Funnily enough I'll be moving some hives up to North Yorkshire for the heather flow next year - can we sort something out?

 

[Into the lions den]

Whats the difference in in house training and the Apprenticeship syllabus ?

We train what we need from staff members. We are not trying to produce fully fledged free standing bee farmers with their own businesses.

We don't have a syllabus. They learn on the job, and what is relevant to us. They should be able to be self starting and heading their own team of 2/3 by year 3. Some never make it. Others show specialist talents. Some go off to do their own thing. C'est la vie. However we are training to have people work for us rather than intentionally equip them with all the skills to go off and compete with us for locations etc. we also have no issues with succession as my older children (haha...they are close on 40 now) will take the unit forward and grandchildren already sometimes coming out in summer.

We prefer starters who have not worked for other UK outfits too, as we find we have to spend the first period 'unlearning' them and watching like a hawk for them reverting to what they know rather than what we want them to do.

 

[REDWOOD]

I suppose it's the same with the motor trade, what they learn in college , most of it they will never use on the shop floor. Unfortunately training is devised into light or heavy, they cannot do the two which is a massive problem with a diverse fleet so most of what they learn is on the shop floor. It's a shame that training cannot be flexible


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[wavey100]

Yeah get in touch ! How many you hoping to be bringing up to the moor ? I can't put contact details on so google me Bayview bees North Yorkshire

 

[sipa]

Actually I'm not in favour of an apprenticeship scheme. Learn business first, then take a good hard look at the prospects of beefarming.

Unfortunately being a "Bee Farmer" is not just about handling and managing bees properly to achieve the goals one sets. It's more than that.
Presumably the aim is to make profit, substantial profit from an enterprise that is inherently risky ?

It's a business and needs all of the relevant skills to start, finance and manage the business ongoing.
Scaling up is costly, returns are low, the market fickle with strong resistance to product pricing that reflects the true vale of production or the value of bees.

Unless of course you are producing Manuka in New Zealand, then you are definitely in the money.

 

[Jimmy]

Actually I'm not in favour of an apprenticeship scheme. Learn business first, then take a good hard look at the prospects of beefarming.

Unfortunately being a "Bee Farmer" is not just about handling and managing bees properly to achieve the goals one sets. It's more than that.
Presumably the aim is to make profit, substantial profit from an enterprise that is inherently risky ?

It's a business and needs all of the relevant skills to start, finance and manage the business ongoing.
Scaling up is costly, returns are low, the market fickle with strong resistance to product pricing that reflects the true vale of production or the value of bees.
.

My understanding is that the apprenticeship scheme was/is designed to meet your concerns. Apprentices are trained to run a business rather than 'just' be beekeepers with 100s of colonies.

 

[sipa]

Unless it's sons or daughters taking over an existing well established enterprise, the costs of setting up and expanding to the point that you make a reasonable return would be prohibitive for the vast majority I suspect.

Gaining external funding for newcomers to the industry would be extremely difficult if not impossible, given the uncertainty and unpredictable nature of the crop.
It's all very well having rose tinted glasses, and looking forward to a life in the great outdoors doing what you love, but that doesn't pay the bills.

Try applying this simple rule, then see how it stacks up.
Do your business plan, then double your expected costs, halve your expected returns.

 

[mbc]

Succession planning in the nz dairy industry used to commonly go along the lines of a milk share system if there were no family members prepared to take over the farm. This would involve the would be successor sharing the profits from the herd with the outgoing farmer for an agreed time, usually a year but variable depending on how long the old fella stayed on to show the new guy the ropes.
I know such arrangements would be unlikely in this **** hole of a money grabbing country but there was something about the warmth and trust in this system that grabbed me.

 

[Chrisfnvs]

I will start be applauding the BFA for setting up this apprenticeship scheme in the first place, but i feel it is flawed in two aspects, 1. this scheme will only really benefit existing medium to large scale bee farming businesses that want to employ a family member or two, something they might have done without this scheme ! 2. there is no help for those newly qualified apprentices going forward, how do they purchase the required level of equipment to be able to make a profit ? how do they find new sites for their bees ? i can only see them either staying working within the family business or for another large outfit or even having to move abroad to a country that have bigger and better bee farming opportunities ! which would seem to defeat the object some what, if the object of setting this up in the first place was to keep family bee farming going in this country by succession, then maybe it will work, but i feel more work needs to be done for the apprentices when they leave, and for new bee farmers generally in setting up their businesses

 

[Hivemaker.]

Much the same for other apprentices I would imagine, say an agricultural apprentice (farming).... or a mechanic, not very easy to just go buy their own farm and all of the livestock and equipment needed, or a garage and all it entails at the end of the apprenticeship.