Your career starts at The College of Animal Welfare

Choosing where to study is an important decision, so why choose us?

  • Over 30 years of experience in delivering professionally recognised qualifications
  • Learn from people with real industry experience
  • Join a community of driven students who share your goals and aspirations

Learning designed around you

  1. Choose from one of our 10+ centres around the country
  2. Gain experience with an apprenticeship
  3. Study from anywhere with our unique online learning solutions

Don’t take our word for it

Thousands of our students have progressed into successful careers.

I couldn’t have asked for more help and support from my tutor and the college. I have found it to be insightful and has definitely helped me progress in my career
C.S
I have always aspired to work in the animal industry and this is giving me the skills and hands on experience required to follow my chosen career
L.S
I’m learning so many new skills whilst at work thanks to my committed and engaging mentor and a very supportive distance learning tutor
L.H
My apprenticeship has made my career change less scary and is giving me the tools to succeed
C.W
I have been able to train in an industry that I am passionate about whilst gaining a recognised qualification and developing my numeracy and literacy skills to ready me for life-long career in my chosen profession
A.R
What stood out most for me was the content of the course. It was constantly delivered in different formats which kept me engaged and was always very relevant to my role within my practice.
L.D
The fact that we are not just looking at the screen but able to do quizzes and on screen activities helps me stay focused and enjoy learning about my subjects. An absolute game changer, Love it!!
N.N
I prefer watching the lesson captures instead of live, as the live goes too quick for me as I write 99% down. So being able to pause is beneficial
R.T
Meet our students View our courses Not sure where to start?
Your ‘Learner Journey’ explained

Professional tuition with professional people

Since 1989 we have been providing quality, professional tuition and have gained a well-earned reputation of excellence.

The ethos of our College is based around improving animal welfare through education and training, and to this end we strive to create new opportunities for learning; two of our most notable achievements being the creation of the first ever BSc (Hons) Veterinary Nursing programme in conjunction with Middlesex University in 1998 and the City & Guilds Level 2 Diploma for Veterinary Care Assistants qualification.

When you choose to study with us, you will be joining a community of like-minded people who share similar goals and aspirations.

Experienced and qualified tutors

We are proud that our tutors are dedicated to providing you with the best learning experience in order for you, to not only achieve your qualification, but to excel and prepare yourself for future study or employment.

‘Apprentices and adult learners benefit from highly experienced tutors, who are specialists in their fields.’

Ofsted report July 2022

Our lecturing team like to look for new modern methods of teaching that are creative and help you to enjoy your learning with us. Our lecturers all hold academic qualifications and industry experience in the subjects they teach and have either achieved, or are working towards, teaching qualifications.

‘Apprentices and adult learners develop significant new knowledge, skills and behaviours that prepare them well for their chosen careers.’

Ofsted report July 2022
The College of Animal Welfare 2022 Ofsted Report

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We take great pride in our Equal Opportunities policy and will not exclude any student from a course on the grounds of age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, sex, pregnancy, maternity, disability, gender reassignment, race or marital/civil partnership status.

Equality and Diversity Statement

Students with disabilities

We are committed to equality of access to all.

If you have a disability, you may have some questions before starting College, such as:

  • Will there be any support in the class to help me learn?
  • Will I be able to hear what people are saying?
  • Will I be able to access the facilities?

We want you to enjoy learning with us and offer appropriate support, where required, to enable you to do this. If you have any questions that you would like to discuss before you start College, please contact us. We will be happy to talk through your options and try to address any concerns you may have.

All students undertake an initial assessment of their Basic Skills; this identifies any additional support or adjustments that may be needed during the programme.

Disability and Neurodiversity Statement

CAW Learner Expectations

We want to provide a positive learning environment for all our students, to maintain this we promote the following learner expectations:

Be respectful…
  • Demonstrate mutual respect
  • Be tolerant of differences
  • Actively listen when others contribute
  • Help and support your peers
Be responsible…
  • Speak quietly during group learning activities
  • Only use your electronic devices for related activities
  • Follow our policies and procedures
Be safe…
  • Involve your peers, social exclusion is unacceptable
  • Look out for your peers & be aware of your surroundings
  • A visible ID badge shows that you are permitted on site
  • If you need to leave the room please inform the tutor
  • Ensure that you know the campus emergency procedures
  • Check around you for hazards or anyone acting inappropriately
Find out more about CAW

Financial support

We are committed to seeking sources of funding in order to keep our course fees as affordable as possible. In 2013, we introduced a new ‘Pay as You Learn’ scheme, which now allows the option of some courses to be paid on a monthly direct debit basis, allowing you to spread out the cost of your training.

From time to time, you may find yourself in need of financial help to get yourself through your studies. There are many sources of help available.

More on Student Finance