Since the end of the government-funded Pilot Scheme, there have been 6 small cohorts of bee farming apprentices sponsored by Rowse Honey and the Bee Farmers’ Association and supported by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). 31 trainees have been placed during the first five years of the new sponsorship.

Those successfully completing the three-year programme are awarded a Diploma in Excellence in Bee Farming by the Worshipful Company of Wax Chandlers.

Congratulations to Phoebe Lamb who received an Apprentice Award for Excellence in 2020. Having achieved a distinction for her apprenticeship, she found her own sponsor in Freedom Brewery who employed her after she finished her apprenticeship. She recently gave a presentation to DEFRA’s Bee Health Advisory Forum on the value of bee farming apprenticeships.

The Bee Farmers’ Association continues to take on a small number of apprenticeships each year: https://beefarmers.co.uk/about-bee-farming/rowsebfa-apprenticeships