A popular beekeeping course is returning to the Grande Prairie Regional College’s Fairview campus after a 10-year absence.
The commercial beekeeping certificate program will be the first beekeeping program in Canada and will relaunch in January.
The program will train students to be apiary assistants, field supervisors with commercial beekeeping operations, technicians with government departments and self-employed beekeepers.
Rodrigo Mendez of the Alberta Beekeepers Commission said the organization is looking forward to a new crop of beekeepers entering the industry.
“This is a rapidly evolving industry and having this course will give the opportunity for new people with different backgrounds to enter this vibrant industry with new ideas and points of view,” he said.
“This course will re-invigorate the industry and keep Alberta beekeepers at the forefront of beekeeping.”
The program will accept up to 12 students for the 45-week program, which includes 26 weeks of paid work at a commercial beekeeping operation.
Alberta is the third-largest honey producer in North America and accounts for 40 percent of honeybees in Canada.
