Small Employer of the Year

Farthings Veterinary Group has seen rapid expansion in recent years, thanks largely to their commitment to Apprenticeships. They are currently training three apprentice nurses in their growing workforce of 30.

Apprenticeships enable the partnership to employ local people and provide a structured career path for their apprentices, whilst gaining excellent well trained workforce.

The two year training and assessment programme largely takes place within the practice by a specially qualified vet, so apprentice nurses get the best tuition and guidance, allowing them to develop their skills whilst complying with all the obligations set out by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS).

Karen Robinson, veterinary surgeon and assessor at Farthings said: “Our approach to Apprenticeships is to develop well trained nurses, who work well within a team but are focused and enthusiastic enough to work on their own, to provide the best possible care for our patients and clients.

Farthings currently employs eight vets with a wide range of expertise, allowing nurses to gain a breadth of experience as they train on the job. “In order to offer dedicated and thorough nursing care for every case, Farthings has to be able to rely on its nursing staff,” said Karen. “By providing the best training, we benefit from excellent staff retention and a very good source of local qualified veterinary nurses.”

Farthings believes that training is essential to get the best out of its students. This includes teaching apprentice nurses the skills and knowledge to do the job and improving their confidence and ability to communicate. As nurses progress through training, they can offer help and guidance to new apprentices, allowing the partnership to improve the training process by listening to feedback and allowing younger apprentices to shadow more experienced nurses.

Gabrielle Johnstone, recruitment and training coordinator at Chichester College explains: “Trainee nurses get three hours training a week in the practice, divided between practical, portfolio, case logs and theory, as well as working alongside trained nurses. Nurses are encouraged to attend college during which time Farthings arranges adequate cover. Farthings believes that the long term benefits of Apprenticeships outweigh the time and money spent on training.”

Johnstone sums up the business benefits of Apprenticeships: “The result of training large numbers of apprentices has made it possible to expand the practice and this in turn, helps us to look after the health and wellbeing of Horsham’s animals.”

Farthings Veterinary Group is a finalist in the Small Employer of the Year category at the national Apprenticeship Awards 2007.