28 May 2021
“This is a groundbreaking model to expand access to educational opportunities and broaden the range of potential students who would not ordinarily be able to attend a vet school” – Wayne Powell, SRUC.
Vet Times
Job Title
Scotland could be home to a new school of veterinary medicine for the first time in more than 150 years.
Plans were announced today (28 May) by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), which will offer courses in veterinary medicine ranging from Higher National Diploma to postgraduate degree level.
Based in Aberdeen, but with a footprint across rural Scotland, it will be the first vet school based outside of Edinburgh or Glasgow.
SRUC has a national network of veterinary hubs and consulting offices, providing the basis for a distributed model of learning.
Already the biggest provider of veterinary nursing, livestock husbandry and animal care training in Scotland, SRUC will offer a core veterinary programme to address existing shortages in veterinary provision, in areas such as rural veterinary practice, food production, food safety, and animal and public health.
The school will aim to widen participation using work-based teaching to align student recruitment and employability in shortage areas, essential to support Scotland’s rural and food sectors.
A working group will be established to progress the plans for the school. The group will be chaired by Sir Pete Downes, former principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Dundee.
Prof Sir Downes will be joined by Scotland CVO Sheila Voas, former NFU Scotland president Nigel Miller, SRUC board member Jane Craigie, and Kate Richards, who is a non-executive director on the Scottish Agriculture College Commercial Board (which undertakes the commercial activities of SRUC) and RCVS junior vice-president.
Caroline Argo, currently dean of SRUC’s North Faculty, will lead the project for SRUC. Other members are due to be announced.
Wayne Powell, principal and chief executive of SRUC, said: “We are an ambitious institution with a bold vision for the future.
“This is a groundbreaking model to expand access to educational opportunities and broaden the range of potential students who would not ordinarily be able to attend a vet school. It will also help solve existing skills shortages across Scotland.
“We see a key role of the new vet school in sustaining primary agriculture and, hence, food and drink productivity, with the welfare of both livestock and companion animals at its heart. The school will produce champions for best-in-class animal welfare in support of these industries, which will help improve productivity, effectiveness, and sustainability.”
Linda Prescott-Clements, director of education at the RCVS, added: “The RCVS looks forward to working with the team at SRUC as it moves towards meeting our accreditation standards, so that its future graduates can join the UK veterinary profession.”
