Author Archives: Alison German

Do You Have Someone Looking to Train as a Veterinary Nurse? Get Them on a Jan Start Course Now and Beat the Learning Loans!

If you have a student in your practice that is looking to start training as a veterinary nurse then, due to changes in government funding, it may be worth them starting in January!

From 1 August 2013 students in England, aged 24 years of age or over, will no longer have level 3 programmes such as A Levels, Advanced Apprenticeships and Level 3 Diplomas subsidised by the Government; this includes the Level 3 Diploma in Veterinary Nursing programme. Instead, the student or employer will be required to pay the course fees plus the money which would have previously been funded by the Government.

To support learners with the resulting additional course costs, the Government has extended the learner loan system that is currently in place for higher education students. The new 24+ Advanced Learning Loans will be available to most learners aged 24 years or over who are looking to undertake a level 3 programme; household incomes are not taken into account and there are no credit checks. The new loans will only become payable once the learner earns at least £21,000 per annum. Repayments will be made at 9 per cent of any income over the threshold above; for example on an income of £25,000 per annum the monthly repayment would be around £30.

The new loans are good news for students who already have a degree as they will still be able to apply for one of these new loans to cover the course fees of a level 3 programme, where currently such students have to pay the full cost up front.

Read more information on Learning Loans and view frequently asked questions.

If your practice has a student that may be affected by these changes we recommend that you contact us on 0844 372 9410 and, if appropriate, consider them starting this January.

24+Advanced Learning Loans: Important Information for Students Starting Level 3 Courses from 1 August 2013

From 1 August 2013 learners in England, aged 24 years of age or over, will no longer have level 3 programmes such as A Levels, advanced apprenticeships and level 3 Diplomas subsidised by the Government. Instead the learner, or their employer, will be required to pay the course fees plus the money which would have previously been funded by the Government.

To support learners with the resulting additional course costs, the Government has extended the learner loan system that is currently in place for higher education students. The 24+Advanced Learning Loans will be available to most learners aged 24 years or over who are looking to undertake a level 3 programme; household incomes are not taken into account and there are no credit checks. The new loans will only be payable once the learner earns at least £21,000 per annum. Repayments will be made at 9 per cent of any income over the threshold above; for example on an income of £25,000 per annum the monthly repayment would be around £30.

The new loans are good news for students who have a degree as they will still be able to apply for one of these new loans to cover the course fees of a level 3 programme, where currently such students have to pay the full cost up front.

More information on learning loans can be found here. If you have a question regarding Learning Loans you may find the answer on this comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions fact sheet. Alternatively you can call us on 0844 372 9410.

Please note the new loans will be open for application from April 2013.

Professor Gregory to Present Awards at our Annual Student Awards Ceremony

Students and employers are set to be recognised at our annual Student Awards Ceremony tomorrow (Saturday 8 December).

The annual Student Awards Ceremony recognises the achievements that students have made during the year and the support that mentors, coaches and employers have provided to them.

Each student who has been nominated for an award has worked hard to reach a high standard and, in some cases, overcome personal challenges during their course.

This year the awards will be presented by Professor Sue Gregory BVetMed PhD DVR DSAS(soft tissue) FHEA MRCVS from the Royal Veterinary College. Professor Gregory was appointed as the world’s first Professor of Veterinary Nursing in 2008.

Barbara Cooper, College Principal, said: ‘Our students have worked really hard throughout the past year and thoroughly deserve recognition for their efforts. I would like to congratulate all our award winners on their achievements and wish them every success for the future’.

Each award winner will be presented with a commemorative trophy during the ceremony at our Godmanchester centre. Photos to follow…

January Start Veterinary Nursing Programmes – Why Wait Until September?

If you’re looking to start training as a veterinary nurse, our next day release Level 3 Diploma in Veterinary Nursing programme starts the week commencing the 7 January 2013.

This particular programme is for students who are employed in a veterinary practice that is approved to train veterinary nurses – a Training Practice (TP) or Auxiliary Training Practice (aTP). Students will come to college for one day per week for two years and work in their practice for the rest of the week. This programme runs from our Huntingdon, Potters Bar and Leeds centres.

For further information please call us on 0844 372 9410 or visit our website.

Ofsted Report Praises 96% Veterinary Nursing Apprenticeship Success Rate

The College of Animal Welfare has been rated as ‘Good’ across the board following its recent Ofsted inspection.

This is the first inspection the College has been through since the new, more stringent, inspection regime came into effect in September. The week long inspection involved a team of seven inspectors covering three of the College’s centres, distance learning school and work based learning programmes. In addition, Abbeydale Vetlink and The Open College of Equine Studies were visited as these are collaborative partners of the College delivering small animal and equine veterinary nursing, respectively.

Barbara Cooper, College Principal, commented ‘We are delighted to have received a solid ‘Good’ grade across all areas including veterinary nursing. Under the new regime, we were given just two days notice of the inspection and we are pleased that the report reflects the true ethos of the College and the dedication and hard work of its staff, students and employers’. She added ‘Let’s not forget the quality of the teaching at our collaborative partners which was also rated as ‘Good’’.

The College was particularly praised for its exceptionally high success rates of learners on veterinary nursing apprenticeships (96%) and its well qualified, experienced and knowledgeable staff; acknowledging that learners with learning difficulties performed particularly well. The report commended learners’ development of skills in mathematics and English highlighting the very high success rate in functional skills (93%) and identified how visits to learners in their practice improves progress and ensures that individualised support and help for each learner and employer are effective.

The inspectors commended the College’s investment in its high quality resources including technology both inside and outside the classroom, most notably the development of its Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) which is used effectively to support learners with their learning outside of the classroom. Excellent curriculum planning was noted, with managers proactively listening to employers and designing programmes which suit their needs.

Karen Davidson Vice Principal (Academic) commented “We are delighted that the Ofsted inspectors have recognised the College’s strengths and support systems which help learners to achieve their qualification.’

As always there are opportunities for improvement and the inspectors suggested that the College could provide learners with additional opportunities to make more use of learner-centred activities and should look at further promoting veterinary nursing as a career option to minority ethnic groups and men.

View the full report.

Ofsted Report Praises 96% Veterinary Nursing Apprenticeship Success Rate

The College of Animal Welfare has been rated as ‘Good’ across the board following its recent Ofsted inspection.

This is the first inspection the College has been through since the new, more stringent, inspection regime came into effect in September. The week long inspection involved a team of seven inspectors covering three of the College’s centres, distance learning school and work based learning programmes. In addition, Abbeydale Vetlink and The Open College of Equine Studies were visited as these are collaborative partners of the College delivering small animal and equine veterinary nursing, respectively.

Barbara Cooper, College Principal, commented ‘We are delighted to have received a solid ‘Good’ grade across all areas including veterinary nursing. Under the new regime, we were given just two days notice of the inspection and we are pleased that the report reflects the true ethos of the College and the dedication and hard work of its staff, students and employers’. She added ‘Let’s not forget the quality of the teaching at our collaborative partners which was also rated as ‘Good’’.

The College was particularly praised for its exceptionally high success rates of learners on veterinary nursing apprenticeships (96%) and its well qualified, experienced and knowledgeable staff; acknowledging that learners with learning difficulties performed particularly well. The report commended learners’ development of skills in mathematics and English highlighting the very high success rate in functional skills (93%) and identified how visits to learners in their practice improves progress and ensures that individualised support and help for each learner and employer are effective.

The inspectors commended the College’s investment in its high quality resources including technology both inside and outside the classroom, most notably the development of its Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) which is used effectively to support learners with their learning outside of the classroom. Excellent curriculum planning was noted, with managers proactively listening to employers and designing programmes which suit their needs.

Karen Davidson Vice Principal (Academic) commented “We are delighted that the Ofsted inspectors have recognised the College’s strengths and support systems which help learners to achieve their qualification.’

As always there are opportunities for improvement and the inspectors suggested that the College could provide learners with additional opportunities to make more use of learner-centred activities and should look at further promoting veterinary nursing as a career option to minority ethnic groups and men.

View the full report.

– Ends –

For more information please contact:
Alison German VN
Marketing Executive
The College of Animal Welfare
Headland House
Chord Business Park
London Road
Godmanchester
Cambridgeshire PE29 2BQ

Tel: 0844 372 9410
Email: agerman@caw.ac.uk

Notes to Editors:
The College of Animal Welfare is one of the UK’s leading providers of veterinary nurse and animal care training and education; operating from four training centres around the UK.

The College has a well earned reputation for excellence and has created a number of unique achievements that have created new opportunities for learning.

For more information about The College of Animal Welfare please visit www.caw.ac.uk

New Online Veterinary Anatomy Museum

The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has, this week, launched a new Online Veterinary Anatomy Museum (OVAM).

The museum, is one of the world’s largest online veterinary anatomical resource collections designed to inspire learners everywhere to engage with animal anatomy and science in an interactive and informative way.

The Online Veterinary Museum includes:

  •  3D imaging of skeletons, radiographic imaging and interpretation
  • Interactive and annotated diagrams and images of specimens
  • Podcasts and potcasts of anatomical specimens

Led by a small team based at the RVC, the project involved all seven of the UK’s vet schools as well as international institutions, educational trusts, commercial publishers and web developers.

Project Director Nick Short said: “The online museum will help to bring the world of veterinary anatomy alive for anybody with an interest in knowing more about animal’s structure and function. OVAM provides access to some of the most amazing virtual resources contributed from all over the world. Here you can explore the 3D anatomy of a horse’s foot from London, view beautiful animations of the abdomen of a pig from Spain or watch a selection of lectures from India!”

Visit OVAM at www.onlineveterinaryanatomy.net

Nursing Progress Log (NPL) will be unavailable the weekend of the 15/16 December

The RCVS have just informed us that veterinary nursing students/clinical coaches will be unable to access the Nursing Progress Log (NPL) the weekend of the 15/16 December whilst some technical work is carried out by SkillWise on their servers. They apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

BVNA Launch New Careers Video

The British Veterinary Nursing Association’s (BVNA) new ‘Career in Veterinary Nursing’ video. We offer all the types of veterinary nurse training mentioned in this video.

Veterinary Nursing Student, Nicola Cutts, Shares her Tips for Staying On Top of your College Work!

The best advice I could give anyone is ‘if you can give 100% into any situation then you will receive 100% back’. Always push yourself to reach those targets and treat every patient as you would expect your pet to be treated.

Finding the correct balance between your social life and college needs to be suited to you. Having the time to relax has to be included, but don’t allow too many disruptions to your routine. However commitment and sacrifices need to be made. Whenever you feel like everything is building up then just take some time out to organise a routine to clear your mind. Setting out a routine on a monthly calendar helps to visualise what needs to be done and having a ‘to do’ list can keep you motivated!