Statutory guidance for home boarding pets in the UK states that staff and license holders must be fully trained and offered continued professional development to be reviewed and updated annually, with inspectors looking for training that develops skills and knowledge that will positively impact areas such as animal welfare and safety.
The largest full-service pet care franchise in the UK, We Love Pets, who have 116 franchisees covering 187 territories have just released a new animal welfare training model through their training company Novabright Training Ltd.
Co-owner of We Love Pets and Novabright Ryan White explains: "We set up Novabright in 2022 to deliver training to our franchisees and their staff, to ensure pets were getting the very best care possible. We even went as far as creating a Level 3 Animal Licensing Inspector Award in 2023, so our franchisees would fully understand the requirements from the local council and be as well qualified as the inspector carrying out their assessment."
Novabright is run by director of education Adam Harper who has a long history in both education and working with animals. He is a postgraduate of both Animal Sciences and Education from the University of Greenwich, member of the Royal Society of Biologists and a member of the Society of Education and Training. His extensive experience has taken him from running various animal management courses at Wiltshire College and University Centre to being a guide and lecturer on a large carnivore conservation project in Poland.
Ryan continued: "Novabright has been a huge success under Adam's expert leadership; we are Ofqual registered and currently offer a range of Level 2 and 3 courses in animal care, with over 1,700 learners on board to date. The news we are announcing today is our new subscription model. To retain their boarding licenses, franchisees must keep their staff's qualifications up to date. The new subscription model means the franchisee will only now pay one fee, per month, that will allow all their staff to take as many qualifications as they need, for one simple flat fee."
In an altruistic move, owners Ryan and wife Jo who founded both businesses, decided to offer the same subscription model to all pet care franchises in the UK, to encourage the highest standards of animal welfare in the sector.
Jo said: "Some might question why we want our competitors to be as well qualified as we are, but for us it truly is about the welfare of the animals. If we can help all franchise organisations to ensure their staff are fully qualified and engaging in regular CPD, then we couldn't be happier."
For more information about the largest and most successful full-service pet care franchise in the UK visit their website or to see the list of courses available, please visit Novabright