Pets at Home has launched its own qualification in dog grooming to enhance the offer at The Groom Room salons at the company’s stores.
The retailer has worked with iPET Network, an awarding organisation in the Animal Care and Veterinary Science sector, to create the exclusive Level 3 Diploma in Professional Dog Grooming.
The bespoke qualification, which is regulated by Ofqual, is designed to build on the training Pets at Home already offers, with the enhanced programme and qualification giving teams additional skills. The Groom Room colleagues currently undergo a six-month internal training programme, including a minimum of 1,000 hours of learning, and are continually assessed throughout their career.
As part of the new programme, there are 12 units that colleagues will need to learn such as health & safety; the customer journey; emergency first aid; canine behaviour; techniques for a range of dog grooming styles; canine anatomy and successful running of a Groom Room salon. Industry experts will also provide teams with exclusive webinars, podcasts and quizzes across a range of additional learning topics.
The first 400 colleagues will start training for the qualification this month, with more planned to take part over the next two years across all 355 Groom Room salons.
Karl Atkinson, head of grooming at Pets at Home, said: “Grooming is an essential part of our pets’ health and welfare, and that’s why providing our colleagues with the very best training is so important to us.
“We’re proud to be leading the way and empowering our grooming teams with the best knowledge in the industry, ensuring we can continue to deliver the best possible care to every pet we meet.”
Sarah Mackay, director at iPET Network, added: “We always find that owners are surprised to learn that formal qualifications, including first aid training, aren’t a legal requirement for dog groomers.
“That’s why it’s great to see the UK’s largest pet care specialist taking action to raise awareness and drive real change across the industry to deliver the highest standard of practice and care for pets. The Groom Room already has excellent training in place and the launch of the new qualification really will make it best in class.”
