23 Jun 2025
More than half of participants in the first Future Vet scheme went on to apply for vet school, officials say.
Allister Webb
Job Title
From left: Reena Littlehales, undergraduate student recruitment and access officer (UK) Keele University; Charlotte Hughes, Higher Horizons+ Keele Hub outreach officer; Molly Hughes, senior school administrator at Harper and Keele Veterinary School; Shannon Lovatt, school administrator Harper and Keele Veterinary School; Adam Thompson MP.
A scheme that aims to widen access to veterinary education has been commended at a ceremony in Parliament following the success of its initial intake.
Leaders of the Future Vet scheme, whose collaborators include the Harper and Keele Veterinary School, say more than half of its pilot cohort have gone on to apply for vet school places.
And they hope recognition from the National Educational Opportunities Network (NEON) awards will inspire further success in the future.
David Mazzochi-Jones, the school’s director of admissions and student experience, said: “The Future Vet programme enables those who would struggle to get vocational experience a deeply enriched, focused experience to explore the many aspects of the profession.
“By widening access to veterinary courses, we not only enrich the profession, but also extend the reach of compassionate animal care to all corners of our communities.”
Although the 2025 scheme has already closed, applications for the 2026 programme are due to open this autumn.
The four-day programme for year 12 students includes a day at both the Garden Vets teaching hospital on the Keele University campus near Stoke-on-Trent and one at the Harper Adams Future Farm to offer a taste of life as a farm clinician.
The vet school and the two universities have developed the programme with Higher Horizons, a Keele-based organisation that offers higher education outreach support to schools and colleges in Staffordshire, Shropshire and Cheshire.
Associate director Ant Sutcliffe said: “We are thrilled that Future Vet, as a relatively new programme, has received a commendation in this national award, and we hope this will give the programme a springboard to become well established in the years to come.
“We know that veterinary courses are difficult for working class young people to access, and this programme genuinely smashes many of the barriers to application and enrolment.”
