16 Jan 2020
From 1 September 2023 the awarding organisation will no longer certificate existing veterinary nursing qualifications.
Rachael Buzzel
Job TitleThe RCVS has expressed its disappointment following news that City and Guilds will withdraw veterinary nursing from its portfolio of qualifications.
From September, the awarding organisation – the largest provider of the level three veterinary nursing qualification – will accept no new registrations and cease certificating existing qualifications from 1 September 2023.
The qualifications affected are:
City and Guilds said its decision not to continue these qualifications is “based on several factors”, but (at the time of writing) no further details had been provided.
RVN and chairman of the RCVS veterinary nurse education committee Susan Howarth said: “We fully recognise this will be worrying news for many VN students, so our immediate priority is to provide as much information and reassurance as possible to those currently enrolled with City and Guilds-approved centres, or those who might be intending to enrol soon.
“We have published a list of frequently asked questions on our website to help address what are likely to be the most immediate concerns , which we will add to as more information becomes available.
“Anyone with additional questions or concerns at this stage should speak to their centre in the first instance, or contact the RCVS VN team at [email protected] or 020 7202 0788.”
The college will be liaising closely with City and Guilds to ensure the needs of VN learners continue to be met, and all commitments to them honoured up to September 2023. It will continue to audit and monitor the City and Guilds programme, and affiliated centres, until 31 August 2023.
In the meantime, the college will also work closely with the two other awarding organisations – Central Qualifications and VetSkill – and the higher education establishments that offer alternative routes to veterinary nurse qualifications, to consider how best to prevent a shortfall in VN training places arising from City and Guilds’ decision to withdraw these qualifications.
