AHTs, get ready for a golden training opportunity

The SAVC is partnering with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease on a pilot project to train animal health technicians (AHTs) in the Eastern Cape and North West in setting up sustainable businesses.

It is hoped that this will expand access to quality primary animal healthcare services to rural smallholder farmers in particular, while creating an income stream for unemployed AHTs.

The project is called “Sustainable Business in Animal Health Service Provision through Training for Veterinary Para-Professionals”, and will involve the training and capacitation of 50 AHTs at the Tsolo Agriculture and Rural Development Institute between April and August 2023.

Candidates were chosen through a process of application and vetting, and will be undergoing online learning, followed by face-to-face training in business skills and a clinical refresher course on the prevention and control of infectious diseases, and then a work placement.

This project also comes at a time when new rules relating to the AHTs have been promulgated, allowing them to practise for their own account, and register and run primary animal healthcare facilities (see article on page 6).

Wishing all the AHTs enrolled in this pilot project an enjoyable and productive experience!