TAFE TO RESCUE

A group of volunteers at the Hawkesbury Valley Animal Welfare League NSW branch have been upskilled thanks to a training course run by TAFE NSW Richmond.

Elizabeth Dundler has been a kitten foster carer at the Hawkesbury Valley Animal Welfare League for six years and said completing the TAFE Statement in Animal Care and First Aid will help her to care for the animals in need.

“The training was great, we learned a lot about the health indicators for quite a few species, checking for vital signs, what to do in an emergency, including basic first aid for animals and how to ensure our own safety first.

“We were fortunate to have hands-on experience cleaning out the animal enclosures and performing health checks on them. Some of the kittens we care for can be quite young and very fragile, so having the skills to know what healthy should look like and to detect issues early across various species is not only better for the animal but can also assist rescue groups financially,” she said.

TAFE NSW Head Teacher Animal Studies, Rebecca Coventry said: “By delivering the training on site at the Animal Welfare League NSW Hawkesbury Valley branch, the volunteers were able to implement the hands-on skills they were learning directly into their workplace. This saw them care for a range of different species and broaden the knowledge they already had.”

Animal Welfare League NSW has been caring for surrendered, neglected and abandoned animals for over 60 years, and has already treated 6843 animals, desexed 7455, and homed 2107 this year.

TAFE NSW Enterprise customises flexible training options for businesses. For more information visit www.tafensw.edu.au or phone 131 601 for more information.