A college in Warwickshire has been awarded accreditation for two of its degree-level courses from a major industry body – further increasing the stellar reputation of its veterinary physiotherapy and animal therapy graduates.
Moreton Morrell College, which is part of college group WCG, has seen its BSc Veterinary Physiotherapy and BSc Canine Therapy and Rehabilitation courses accredited by the Animal Health Professions Register (AHPR).
The accreditation positions the college and its students perfectly to capitalise on the continued professionalisation of both disciplines – with calls from industry to make both titles protected by law.
The degrees are delivered by Warwickshire College and University Centre (WCUC). The university centre launched last year after WCG became the first college group to hold both Bachelor and Foundation degree awarding powers and can now curate and award its own degree-level qualifications.
More than 30 students are currently studying on the pair of courses and tutors say the new AHPR accreditation will future proof students as practitioners, also improving employability prospects and visibility to potential clients.
Helen Coleman, Subject Lead in Higher Education at Moreton Morrell College, said: “The whole industry is moving in the direction of professionalisation, as to identify a practitioner who is properly trained can be difficult with the titles still not being protected by law.
“It’s a big problem in the industry but it’s also a problem to prospective students when choosing which course to study. Receiving the AHPR accreditation makes it clear that both of the courses here at Moreton Morrell College are robust, hitting national benchmarks and will enable students to obtain insurance to practice.
“Veterinary physiotherapy and canine therapy are both fast growing disciplines, in terms of people looking to enter industry and advancements in technology/treatments.
“To have been awarded AHPR accreditation is the highest-level of recognition possible for our courses and it is testament to our staff striving to deliver the best quality training for students.
“It put our students in a good position for when these do become protected titles by law, they will tick all the boxes.
“Both courses will be subject to annual monitoring by the AHPR and as a college we will continue to invest time and resource to ensure our courses are hitting and surpassing benchmarks set by the accrediting body.”
Steve Taylor, Dean of Higher Education at Warwickshire College and University Centre, added: “These courses have been found by the AHPR to be of the quality and standard required to train the next generation of professionals in these fields.
“The accreditation continues our drive across our Higher Education provision to ensure that qualifications being delivered are modern and responding to the needs of industry.”
To find out more about degree-level courses at Warwickshire College and University Centre and upcoming open days visit www.wcuc.ac.uk