Rebecca and Ged Marshall on the beeb

[SDM]

No, I said presumably that is the career path. Perhaps I should have said the ideal career path, and I didn't specify whether or not they may get experience elsewhere first.



According to the information on the BFA website, which you appear not to have read, the host *pays* the apprentice.

Now look up grants for training providers and employers of apprentices. I did read it and more.
My point exactly, there is no mention of what happens after they qualify, but since wages would be low and self employment extremely difficult for all the reasons mentioned.
Perhaps they'll all be recruited as bee inspectors, the thing is nobody seems to know.

[SDM]

Morrisons Supermarket ran one of the biggest apprenticeship schemes just lately
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17584151
Someone working on their fish counter would suddenly become an apprentice and Morrisons would benefit
So SBC has a point (if that's what is happening in this case)

That's exactly the sort of thing that happens. The grant system covers 75% of wage and training. Which leaves the employed paying just 25% of the(what, £100/wk) cost. Of course they can add to it and I'm sure he did in his daughters case.

[gavin]

Now look up grants for training providers and employers of apprentices. I did read it and more.
My point exactly, there is no mention of what happens after they qualify, but since wages would be low and self employment extremely difficult for all the reasons mentioned.
Perhaps they'll all be recruited as bee inspectors, the thing is nobody seems to know.

Do you mean grants in general - anywhere on the WWW - or do you mean at the BFA site? All I see on the BFA site is this, which is far from the impression your post gives:

Finance

Apprentices are paid directly by their employer (host trainer). While the Bee Farmers’ Association asks employers to pay a base rate which values the apprentice’s contribution to the business, employers may, and often do, pay above this rate. The training element of the scheme is financed by commercial sponsors Rowse Honey. Other sponsors provide practical benefits – for example BJ Sherriff have provided bee suits. Apprentices are provided with a rail travel card free of charge for the duration of their programme.

No, wait a minute, you do mean the Marshalls:

That's exactly the sort of thing that happens. The grant system covers 75% of wage and training. Which leaves the employed paying just 25% of the(what, £100/wk) cost. Of course they can add to it and I'm sure he did in his daughters case.

So you don't know them, never met them, yet you are assuming and implying that they are somehow sponging off government hand-outs (apparently on offer to folk entering family businesses?) ?

[SDM]

And you assume theyre not. What we do know is the girl was an experienced queen breeder for one of the most respected importers and as such needed no training after a lifetime on the job. We also know she is not new blood to the industry which is the aim of the scheme. Surely that is exactly what I called it, "questionable".
I did say" Govt. Grants "
Try this
https://www.gov.uk/government/collec...o-24-year-olds

[The Drone Ranger]

SDM you seem to have a few bees your beekeeping bonnet
Relax take a step back
You will get more from the forum that way
IMHO as they say on the beekeeping forum
Have you checked them out ?
They like a bit of argy bargy

[Black Comb]

Some more info. on this topic

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/j...tish-bees.html

[SDM]

Thanks for that but after the 2nd time they wrote" their are no wild bees left" I had to walk away and come back to read it again.
While looking for an out apiary recently, I was attacked by an old woman convinced I was a burglar because of my ridiculous excuse of keeping bees, since all the bees are dead. I returned later with 3 in a jar and left them and a note for her.
I personally know of 4 feral colonies less than a mile from my home one of them at least a decade old. Sure every feral swarm I took this year had massive Varroa burdens, but reports of their demise are rather exaggerated. I'd complain about it if it hadn't been part of changing peoples attitudes to having hives on their property. A question that a few years ago got a blank look and a straight "No!" nowgets a much more considerate reply.
The girl in the article , I feel is a much better example of what I thought the scheme was for.

[The Drone Ranger]

Feral an unmanaged honey bees might have been a reservoir of AFB EFB etc
Having less of them might be a good thing (like having less feral cats)

[Black Comb]

The thing that caught my attention was when she said shortly bees in the UK will rely only on bee farmers for their survival (or words to that effect).
I seem remember reading somewhere that 70% of the colonies in the UK are owned by amateurs.
Not much confidence in us then in the BFA world.

[SDM]

No offence intended to anyone here(.myself included) but I'd really rather not see the future of another species in our(human) hands.