AHC31818 Certificate III in Beekeeping

The qualification consists of 18 units of competency in total, delivered through a combination of face-to-face training, online training & workplace assessment (for trainees only). You can expect to attend 14-16 days of face-to-face training held in 4-day blocks here at Tocal College in Paterson, NSW.

Core units

• AHCBEK203 - Open and reassemble a beehive
• AHCBEK205 - Prepare and use a bee smoker
• AHCBEK206 - Assemble and maintain beekeeping components
• AHCBEK301 - Manage honey bee swarms
• AHCBEK302 - Manipulate honey bee brood
• AHCBEK303 - Re-queen a honey bee colony
• AHCBEK304 - Remove a honey crop from a hive
• AHCBEK311 - Transport bee hives by road to new apiary site
• AHCBEK312 - Extract honey
• AHCBEK313 - Manage pests and disease within a honey bee colony
• AHCBEK405 - Select and establish an apiary site
• AHCWHS301 - Contribute to work health and safety processes
• AHCWRK306 - Comply with industry quality assurance requirements

Elective units

Some of the electives on offer at Tocal College are:

• AHCBEK309 - Trap and store pollen
• AHCBEK409 - Rear queen bees
• TLILIC0003 - Licence to operate a forklift truck
• AHCPCM201 - Recognise plants

Possible job roles for this qualification include:

• Beekeeping
• Honey Processing
• Wax processing
• Hive building
• Queen bee breeding
• Bee sales
• Pollination services.

Due to the demand for this qualification, Tocal College has a staged application and selection process. This is a trade level qualification, and priority will be given to beekeepers currently working in the bee industry, new full-time trainees of commercial beekeepers, and beekeepers seeking to diversify and/or scale up their beekeeping business operations.

For beekeepers not requiring the full qualification but wanting to increase their skills, Tocal College offers accredited industry short course training in bees.

Up to two (2) years.

Assessment methods may include:

• written reports
• case studies and scenarios
• oral presentations
• quizzes
• observations
• interviews.

The principles of assessment will be followed and all assessments will be valid, reliable, flexible and fair and carried out by qualified assessors. Students will be advised of the assessment requirements prior to the assessment taking place.

Support is available via:

• email and phone – refer to the contact details listed within your course
• face-to-face mentoring sessions on-campus – you can book an appointment with your trainer
• Canvas (the online learner management system).

The Smart & Skilled course fee is considered a student contribution to the full cost of training, the difference being subsidised by the State Government. The fee payable depends upon eligibility and access to concessions or exemptions. Currently, students can expect to pay:

• $1,400 for NSW Smart and Skilled supported first qualification (non-traineeship)
• $1,690 for NSW Smart and Skilled supported second or further qualification
• $6,860 full commercial fee for all students not eligible for NSW Smart and Skilled support.

For more information visit the Smart & Skilled website.

For information on students rights and responsibilities, and the Tocal College Code of Practice, see Industry qualification student policies.

Student may decide to progress to further study within the College. Tocal also has articulation (credit for study at Tocal) arrangements in place with a number of Australian universities.