Fox buzzing to be nation’s first school-based beekeeping trainee

The Mount St Patrick College year 10 student was one of a host of would-be beekeepers swarming around two launch events on the north coast this month, following the announcement in October HSC students would have the option of doing a Certificate III as part of their studies. 

Barring anything unforseen, Fox’s agreement with Apprenticeship Network Provider Verto will see him earn official accreditation while working among his dad’s hives over the next couple of years. 

Brunswick Heads apiarist Derek Klepp said his son Fox had already spent a lot of time around the family business, which was set up by his own father in the late 1960s. 

Derek said a likely surge in pollination services in NSW made the profession a lucrative prospect for kids – many of whom would have previously found it difficult to enter the industry without family ties. 

“Like any young kid he’s happy to work and earn money,” Mr Klepp said. “That’s the kind of thing a lot of the kids want to hear - if they work hard, they’ll be rewarded.

“And pollination services in Australia - it hasn’t taken off like it has in America – we can already there’ll be quite a lot of activity around this.” 

The executive officer of Industry Training Advisory Body NSW Agrifood, Melissa Wortman, said confidence in the school-based beekeeping program was high.

She said suppler Ecrotek had already agreed to sponsor the first year of cohort of trainees by providing them with free bee-suits, smokers and hive tools to start their career.

“Industry are really really keen about this, they’ve seen the publicity on the North Coast and want to get involved.”

She said while the initial push for beekeeping as an HSC option was centered on the North Coast, there had been enough interest to make the Central West and New England regions next cabs off the rank.

At the Alstonville launch this month students attended from Richmond River, Alstonville, Casino, Woodenbong Central, Mt St Patricks High Schools.  

At Grafton, Newman Catholic College, Grafton High School and Coffs Harbour Christian Community College students turned out.