At The College of Animal Welfare, we offer a variety of training options and support for businesses in the veterinary and animal care field, and we’re doing all we can to continue to support employers throughout what is a period of immense change. 

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to present staffing, recruitment and training challenges for many veterinary practices, we wanted to outline some of the ways in which we can support veterinary practices during this time. Let’s take a look: 

Veterinary Nurse Training

As one of the UKs largest and most establish veterinary nurse training providers, we can help you recruit and train loyal, professional and highly qualified veterinary nurses. If you’re looking to recruit a student veterinary nurse in the near future, there’s still time to recruit in time for our next Level 3 Diploma in Veterinary Nursing intake starting in January. Equally, applications are also open for start dates in April and September 2021, leaving plenty of time to plan ahead. If you would like to discuss your training or recruitment needs, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Veterinary Nursing Apprenticeships

Our Level 3 Diploma in Veterinary Nursing programme is also available for student veterinary nurses to undertake as part of an apprenticeship. As 95% of apprenticeship training fees are covered by the government for small employers, and the National Minimum Wage (NMW) for apprentices is only £4.10*, recruiting an apprentice veterinary nurse could be an affordable way to grow your practice team in the coming months.

Taking on an apprentice is more cost effective than usual at the moment, as the government has recently introduced some new financial incentives for employers recruiting apprentices in the next 6 months. You can read more about these incentives here. More than this, if you choose CAW as your training provider we can help you recruit free of charge.  

If you are considering recruiting an apprentice veterinary nurse, either for a course intake coming up this September or in the near future, please do get in touch with us for an informal chat about the process on 01480 422060 /admin@caw.ac.uk You can read more about apprenticeship training and what we can offer at CAW on our website. 

Veterinary Nursing Student Placement Scheme

Your practice may not be in a position to recruit student veterinary nurses at the moment. If so, have you considered taking on a student veterinary nurse for a short, unpaid work placement to fill any staffing gaps? We have diploma and degree level student veterinary nurses looking for unpaid work placements in veterinary practices across the UK. There are a number of benefits to taking part in the scheme:   

• Your practice could be eligible for free training practice approval and clinical coach training
• All work placements are unpaid
• You interview the student beforehand
• There’s no need for extra insurance
• You could keep your student for up to two year
• Quick and simple to record your student’s experience with the online Nursing Progress Log (NPL) or ePortfolio
• Upon qualification you could even find that your student becomes your next loyal qualified RVN!

You can read more about our practice placement scheme here  

Training Practice Approval

If you are a veterinary practice looking to become involved in veterinary nurse training, we can help you achieve this.

You will need to be approved as either a Training and Assessment Practice (TP) or an Auxiliary Training and Assessment Practice (aTP) by an Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) approved Primary Centre.

In March 2001 The College of Animal Welfare became the first Veterinary Nursing Approved Centre (VNAC) to be appointed by the RCVS, and have since become the largest Primary Centre in the UK supporting over 300 practices. Find out how to become a Training Practice.

Bespoke Training and Consultancy

We have worked with many of the UK’s leading animal welfare organisations for a number of years, providing bespoke training, eLearning solutions and consultancy to support organisations with their staff training needs. Find out how bespoke training and consultancy could work for you.

Contact us to discuss your training and recruitment needs

Here at CAW, we are doing all we can to continue to provide quality teaching and support employers and businesses throughout what is a period of immense change. You can read more about our response to COVID-19 on our website. If you have any queries about veterinary nurse training, or if there’s anything we can do to help support your practice during this time, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us on 01480 422060 or email us at admin@caw.ac.uk  

As many students return to college or start their studies at university for the first time this month, we want to provide some reassurance and advice for students who may feel nervous about starting their course during a pandemic.

Here, we’ve collated some advice and guidance for our students about what they can do to make learning during a pandemic as seamless as possible. Let’s get started:

Remember your safety basics

This has been a year like no other and being in a pandemic means that your experience as a student will be different. It’s natural to have concerns about staying safe and questions about how restrictions will impact on you as you start college or university.

If you’re unsure of what the procedures will be, the first thing to do is check your college or university website or information that has been sent to you. At The College of Animal Welfare, we’re doing all we can to continue to provide quality education to ensure students can make a successful and seamless start to their courses this year. To keep up-to-date with all of our COVID-19 updates, activities and policies make sure you visit our COVID-19 page.  

Additionally, make sure you stay informed about the latest government advice and remember your safety basics: wash your hands regularly, wear a face covering in enclosed spaces and stay at least 2 metres apart (or 1 metre with a face covering or other precautions.) Visit the government website for updates

Look after your mental health, ask for help when you need it and understand what support is available

As a College, the wellbeing of our students is at the forefront of everything we do. So, we want to make sure that in this time of uncertainty, you still feel supported and know that we are available to offer you any guidance we can.

Togetherall

All staff and students can now access free online mental health and wellbeing support through Togetherall (previously called Big White Wall). This service can be used at any time of the day or night, all year round.

Whether you’re suffering from stress, problems with sleep, feeling low or unable to cope, or simply need someone to talk to, Togetherall can help you get support and learn useful coping strategies to improve mental health and wellbeing. The service enables members to get things off their chest in a safe, anonymous global community. You can access a library of self-care resources and trained professionals are online 24/7 to keep all members safe and provide extra support.

The college will not be informed of those who are signed up to Togetherall or activity on the service unless they are seriously concerned about safety whilst on campus. To join, go to the Togetherall website and sign up under ‘I’m from a university or college’ using a staff or student e-mail address.

College counselling services

In addition to this, we offer a confidential counselling services, with free sessions for students on an ongoing basis (the college is not made aware of any appointments made). The College counsellors are still available via phone, email or video conference:

Jill Dighton

• Tel: 07925 852 985
• Email: jill@jdighton.co.uk

Mark Walsh

• Tel: 07905 611 591
• Email: mwalsh4@sky.com

Mental health resources

• Mental Health Foundation – Looking after your mental health during the Coronavirus outbreak
• Mind – Coronavirus and your wellbeing
• Mental Health England – Supporting your mental health while working from home
• Samaritans – If you’re worried about your mental health during the coronavirus outbreak
• Vetlife– Mental health support and financial assistance for the veterinary community including veterinary nurses and students
• Living Well area on CAW VLE

Meet new friends and connections, even if virtually

Part of the joy of college or university is studying with like-minded people and making friends for life. So, when socialising is legally restricted, it’s only natural to worry about how you’re going to do this. However, learning in a pandemic doesn’t necessarily mean learning in isolation.

At The College of Animal Welfare, we will endeavour to provide some face to face and online tuition during the autumn term and potentially into 2021, whilst maintaining social distancing requirements. In the meantime, we have prepared a range of appropriate induction activities to help you settle into college life and meet your new classmates.

Additionally, our new online virtual classroom software offers lots of interactive features which means you can engage with your tutors and peers in real-time during teaching sessions, for example through sharing of emoji icons, polling, and breakout rooms. Our lecturers provide remote academic support, such as small group meetings and learner reviews. This means there will still be plenty of opportunity to make new friends and enjoy the interaction that makes college such an exciting and rewarding experience.

Remember to stay connected to existing friends and loved ones too

Starting university or college can be nerve wracking, and starting during a pandemic can present more challenges than usual. So, it’s really important to stay connected to those who care about you, and can support you when you need it. 

Make the most of online learning

You can make the most of online learning by participating actively in online discussions and group activities and offering your input into lessons. You can also the text chat facilities if you’re more comfortable expressing yourself in this way.

At The College of Animal Welfare, there is plenty of opportunity to get involved in your course and build friendships with your classmates. Connecting with your classmates on social media or our new online virtual classroom software, will help to boost your e-learning experience.

Online learning offers many unique benefits, however it’s important to be mindful of your behaviour online. Make sure you maintain a polite tone, be respectful when discussing topics with other members of your online group, and always write in clear sentences to avoid misunderstandings.

Take steps to stay motivated and happy learning from home

It can be challenging to maintain the same levels of motivation while working or studying at home, compared to if you were at work or college. That’s why we’ve put together some tips to help you stay focused while working at home:

• Have a designated space for your college work that is free from distraction and has all the materials you need to study with ease. You could also decorate your study space with inspirational quotes and pictures to boost motivation.
• Keep in contact with your tutors and fellow students to discuss your college work and help each other with problems and concerns you may be having.
• Make sure you take regular breaks and take the time you need for self-care and boosting your mental and physical wellbeing (for example, take time out to eat a proper lunch and do some exercise such as a walk).
• Come up with a study schedule that works for you and takes into account your responsibilities, for example your virtual lessons or tutorials.
• Accept that you won’t always have productive days, and sometimes tasks are best left for tomorrow.
• Stay in routine as much as you can. For example, waking up and going to bed at the same time on weekdays as you would if you were going to work or college can help to add consistency to your daily routine.
• Set yourself a to-do list, or create a timetable to help add structure to your day. Having clear goals can also help you to stay focused and motivated with the work you’re doing.

Embrace change and stay positive

Learning during a pandemic will always present challenges. More so than ever, it’s really important to embrace change, remain positive and reach out for support if you need it. If you are worried, unsure or have any questions about how your course is progressing, don’t hesitate to make contact with your college or university to help put your mind at ease.

If you’ve received your GCSE results and are interested in working with animals, take a look at some of the training options we provide at The College of Animal Welfare that could help you achieve your career goals…

Veterinary Nursing Qualifications

If you love animals and are concerned with animal welfare; then becoming a veterinary nurse could be the ideal route for you.

Veterinary nurses assist veterinary surgeons in practice and undertake a range of important duties. For example:

• Preparing animals for surgery and performing minor surgical procedures
• Monitoring anaesthetised animals
• Nursing sick animals and administering medication
• Taking x-rays and carrying out diagnostic tests
• Advising owners on the health and welfare of their pets
• Taking bookings, payments and completing necessary paperwork
• Running nurse clinics, such as diet, worming and grooming consultations

The main route into veterinary nursing at CAW for those with 5 GCSEs at grade 9-4 (or grade C or above) including English Language or Literature, Mathematics and a Science subject, is our Level 3 Diploma in Veterinary Nursing. You can study this Diploma as a standalone qualification or train as part of an apprenticeship. Completion of the course qualifies students to apply for professional registration as a Registered Veterinary Nurse (RVN). For more information on eligibility criteria please visit our website.

Alternatively, you could continue to study A-Levels with the view to apply for one of our veterinary nursing degree programmes.

Veterinary Care Training

For those that would like to focus on animal welfare duties outside of surgery within a veterinary practice – such as exercising, grooming and feeding hospitalised animals, monitoring and providing supportive care to inpatients and cleaning and preparing accommodation for animals – training as a Veterinary Care Assistant would be an ideal career path!

Veterinary Care Assistants work alongside veterinary surgeons and nurses in order to provide vital nursing care of small animal patients. Our Level 2 Diploma for Veterinary Care Assistants and Level 2 Certificate in Veterinary Care Support are excellent courses covering the underlying knowledge needed to thrive in a fast-paced veterinary care environment. There are no academic entry requirements, however you do need to be working or volunteering in a suitable veterinary practice for a minimum of 10 hours per week.

You can also study veterinary care and learn on-the-job by undertaking our Veterinary Care Support Level 2 Apprenticeship.

Animal Care Training

Animal care training is suitable for those looking to find employment in animal care environments outside of veterinary practice. For example, this could be a zoo, stables, rescue centre, cattery or kennels. Depending on the role that you choose to undertake, your duties could range from cleaning, feeding and medicating animals, to educating the public on animal welfare and preparing animals for rehoming.

Our animal care qualifications allow students to gain on-the-job training whilst studying. They will cover a variety of animal care practices depending on your level of experience within the industry. For more information on careers within animal care you can visit our online career profiles.

Dog Grooming  

Dog Grooming is the perfect career choice if you’re passionate about dogs. As a dog groomer you will bathe, dry and style dogs to ‘breed standard’ or customer specification. Not only this, you’ll carry out basic health checks and identify parasites and signs of infection. For more information about a career as a dog groomer you can download our careers guide.

Our Level 2 Dog Groomer Apprenticeship can get you started on the right foot and give you the confidence to undertake a range of bathing and grooming techniques.

Careers With Animals Day

If you want to work with animals and are looking to gather more information about the different options available, you can come along to our free, Virtual Careers With Animals Day this October. You’ll be able to listen to a variety of career talks from key organisations in the veterinary and animal care industry, ask questions and gain advice. You can view the talk timetable and the last year’s career talks on our website. You can also have a look at a range of animal career profiles on our website.

Remember, there are many sources of help and guidance available if you’re unsure about what to do next, and no matter what your results may be, there will always be a new opportunity waiting for you around the corner.

This month, we want to give something back to our groomin’ marvellous National Health Service (NHS), and all the brave and dedicated staff who work within it.

As such, all dog grooms at our grooming salons in Wigan and Leeds will be free of charge throughout August, in return for a minimum £10 donation to the NHS. We will collect this donation at the time of the groom, and donate it at the end of the month.

To take advantage of this offer, choose your preferred location and complete the “request a call back” form, and we will contact you to book an appointment. This offer is subject to availability and spaces will fill up fast, so hurry!

• Request a call back in Wigan
• Request a call back in Leeds

If you’re a growing business and looking to expand your team, have you considered taking on an apprentice? With the National Minimum Wage for Apprentices being just £4.15* per hour, apprenticeships can be an affordable way to take on new staff whilst providing a training opportunity for someone keen to start a career in your industry.

What’s more – the government has recently announced some new financial bonuses for employers who hire apprentices over the next six months…

Gain an extra pair of hands for less

From August 2020 to January 2021, businesses that recruit a new apprentice aged 16 to 24 will receive a £2,000 incentive from the government towards the cost of training, while those that hire new apprentices aged 25 and over will be paid £1,500.

These payments will be in addition to the existing £1,000 incentive the government already provides for new 16-18 year old apprentices, and those aged under 25 with an education, health and care plan where that applies.*

This means that if you hire a 16 to 18 year old apprentice in the next 6 months, you receive £3,000! If you also have less than 50 contracted employees, the apprenticeship fees for those aged 16-18 years of age will be fully funded!

Discover more about what makes apprenticeships great…

Cut your recruitment costs

Boosting your team with an apprentice is a great way to bypass the added recruitment costs associated with outsourcing or recruiting skilled labour. You can fill your skills gaps by investing in the long term development of an apprentice, growing your own motivated, talented and loyal employee.

What’s more – you can save even more on recruitment costs when you take on an apprentice with The College of Animal Welfare. As part of the recruitment process, we can advertise, filter applications for you and even arrange your interviews if you wish – all for FREE! Take a look at the recruitment process

Don’t lose your apprentice to college time

Many of our apprenticeship programmes are work-based, which means you will not lose your apprentice to college time. Instead, all their learning will be done in the work place with support from a Work-based Learning Assessor who will visit your apprentice on a regular basis, and provide telephone and email support between visits. Apprentices also no longer have to be full-time employees and can undertake an apprenticeship part-time!

Grow an employee who meets your business needs

Our apprenticeships can be tailored to a specific job-role and contain a list of all the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed for learners to be job-ready upon completion. This allows you to tailor your apprentice to specific business objectives and needs. View our infographic to discover more benefits of apprenticeship training

Specialist training with a reputable provider

The College of Animal Welfare is one of the UKs leading providers of veterinary nurse and animal care training, running from four centres across the UK. We are very proud of the fact that all of our staff delivering our apprenticeship programmes have significant industry experience and knowledge under their belts; they all share a common passion for pushing the profession forward. Your apprentice will learn all the skills and knowledge needed to drive your business forward.

Talk to us about apprenticeship training today

If you would like to speak to a member of our team directly regarding our apprenticeship training and the financial incentives available, please contact us at admin@caw.ac.uk or on 01480 422060. You can view all of our apprenticeship programmes on our website.

Entry onto many of our veterinary nursing courses, such as our Level 3 Diploma in Veterinary Nursing, require you to gain employment or work experience in a veterinary practice. 

As veterinary nursing is a popular and competitive profession to join, placements and job opportunities for aspiring veterinary nurses can sometimes be hard to come by. This means it is essential to be prepared for any interviews you secure, and do all you can to stand out against the competition – whether you’re interviewing for a placement, job or work experience.

To help you, we have gathered together some advice:

Before your interview, have a think about…

Your Chosen Veterinary Practice 

Familiarise yourself with the veterinary practice beforehand and know the person you are meeting; company websites are often a great source of information. Showing you have taken the time to find out about the veterinary practice will demonstrate that you are keen and will help prevent any lulls in the conversation.

What course you want to study, and where you want to study it 

If you are attending an interview for a work placement or student veterinary nurse position before applying for a course, make sure you are aware of what your course involves, how long you will be studying for and on which days, and why you want to do the course.

Knowledge of the Veterinary Nursing Industry

Ensure you have an idea of the industry you are going to be working in. For example, if you are attending an interview for a student veterinary nurse position, make sure you are familiar with the workings of a veterinary practice and the veterinary nursing profession as a whole.

Your Skills and Experience

Before you go for your interview have a think about your situation and know what you want to gain from the job, placement or work experience. This will help you to be confident when answering questions that your interviewer may ask you. Some of the things you may want to think about are:

• What are your long term aims?
• What does your course entail and how do you plan to tackle it?
• What previous work experience have you done and what aspects did you like or dislike most?
• What other transferrrble skills/experience have you gained that will help you on placement?
• Why do you want to be a veterinary nurse, kennel assistant, dog groomer etc.?

CV and References

Before your interview, we suggest you gather a copy of your CV and references to take along with you in case your interviewer asks to see these.

Presence on Social Media

More and more people nowadays have a presence on social media. Please be aware of your online profile and what you write both pre and post-interview. A lot of information can be publicly accessible and your interviewer may be check up on you online.

On the interview day, make a good first impression by…

• Dressing smartly and professionally, ideally smart trousers/skirt and shirt/blouse or a suit. 
• Arriving on time or ideally a few minutes early. If you are not going to make it on time for whatever reason (for example, you’re held up in traffic), ensure you call the organisation and let them know, explaining the situation and giving them an estimate of your arrival time.
• Being enthusiastic, passionate and motivated – you need to convince your interviewer that this is really what you want to do!
• Not chewing gum or mints during your interview and making sure your mobile phone is turned off before entering the building.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to change how we work, it is becoming more common for employers to use phone and video interviews to make hiring decisions. If you need to attend a virtual interview, on the interview day make sure you…

• Check your internet connectivity, and confirm your camera, microphone and communication channel (for example Skype or Zoom) are all working. 
• Work out where you want to take the interview. This should be a quiet, tidy room with optimal lighting and a clear background to guarantee you’re the focal point of the conversation. Once settled, make sure you eliminate any distractions. Turn off the TV, silence your phone, and close any nearby windows to muffle outside noises.

During the interview, make sure you…

• Do not slouch or cross your legs. Instead, maintain good posture where possible.
• Smile – even if you are understandably nervous; you want to appear approachable and friendly.
• Remain polite at all times and use your manners; ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ still go a long way.
• Try to make eye contact with your interviewer and be conversational.
• Ask questions to demonstrate your keenness, but do not overdo the questions or turn it into a one-sided conversation.

After the interview, thank the interviewer for their time. 

We wish you the best of luck in your job search. Visit our website to find out more about our veterinary nursing courses and for more advice about how to gain work experience or employment in a veterinary practice.