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Thread: Rebecca and Ged Marshall on the beeb

  1. #1
    Administrator gavin's Avatar
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    Default Rebecca and Ged Marshall on the beeb

    One of the UK's foremost queen breeders, now with his daughter in the business.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33663048

  2. #2

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    I was a bit unimpressed with this.
    The aim of the aprenticeship is to bring new blood to the industry specifically 18-24 yr olds(a fantastic idea)
    Yet the first is a 26yr old who has worked for Buckfast Denmark rearing queens for years and as far as I know is taking over from Jed next year, all paid for by Rowse who Jed supplies.
    If I thought for one second the next 26 yr old that applies would get the same treatment I'd be less worried about the scheme.
    I'm a big fan of the aprenticeship concept, but I feel this is a little self serving andets face it , she hasn't been living on the £75(or whatever pitance) they'll be paying other apprentices.
    My other worrry is finishing salary and career path. Is it even possible to pay someone a living wage in Beekeeping ? Or do they expect each aprenticeship to go and get a few thousand bives of his own straight after living off fresh air for 4 yrs ?

  3. #3

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    Hi SDM nice to see someone new posting

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    Administrator gavin's Avatar
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    There were (maybe are) seven apprentices in the BFA scheme. Rowse pay for the training whereas the host bee farmer pays the apprentice. As for the ages, the scheme started in 2014 so perhaps Rebecca was 24 then. I don't know her but I've met her father and he's a helpful, lovely bloke. The career path is presumably to set up in business as an independent bee farmer and my goodness, they need the training and other support to achieve that. I'm not sure why you seem so critical - is this not a good thing?

    You can read more here: http://beefarmers.co.uk/apprenticeships/

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    Senior Member HJBee's Avatar
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    If anything bringing attention of younger folk to the more professional aspects of beekeeping is worth it, however incestuous you think this may be. In my experience, the bee keeping world is quite small, so yes folk know other folk. It would be good if Rowse had a non EU Blend range, maybe this kind of scheme can help deliver this.

  6. #6

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    I did say , that I think it could be a fantastic idea.
    OK , I'm mid 20's just finished my aprenticeship, have no money because I've been paid very little for 3 yrs. Now I'm unemployed and now need sites for let's say 200 hives (a minimum figure I've heard used before for being able to make a living)
    There is simply no chance of an aprenticeship being able to find sites and fund a business startup that could possibly earn a living.
    It's less the scheme, more what comes after that bothers me, even with all the knowledge where will the land and money to start come from. No bank will lend a startup that could fail several years running just from weather the sums of money necessary. Which would make it the worst type of aprenticeship, the kind that just abuses 3 years cheap labour with no hope of employment at the end.
    Unless of course it's an aprenticeship for land owners rich kids and business owners.

  7. #7

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    I'll never be happier to be wrong though.

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    Administrator gavin's Avatar
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    I'm sure that the scheme is designed to be helpful and try to get apprentices established. I doubt very much whether the host would have employed an apprentice to get work done - it takes a lot of additional time to teach people on the job and if the host was after cheap labour he/she would have tapped into the pool of experienced beekeeping assistants available, many from E Europe. One guy I know helped his apprentice by donating sites to her.

  9. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by gavin View Post
    There were (maybe are) seven apprentices in the BFA scheme. Rowse pay for the training whereas the host bee farmer pays the apprentice. As for the ages, the scheme started in 2014 so perhaps Rebecca was 24 then. I don't know her but I've met her father and he's a helpful, lovely bloke. The career path is presumably to set up in business as an independent bee farmer and my goodness, they need the training and other support to achieve that. I'm not sure why you seem so critical - is this not a good thing?

    You can read more here: http://beefarmers.co.uk/apprenticeships/
    I don't know them at all, but know folk that do and everybody says they're good people.
    But Rebecca could happily have taught the aprenticeship as she had years with buckfast Denmark which is where Jed gets his queens.
    Incestuous for sure.

  10. #10
    Senior Member HJBee's Avatar
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    I hope you are

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