Franchise business OSCAR Pet Foods is launching an Academy of Pet Welfare, in what it says is an industry first.
The Lancashire-based company says that, in a largely unregulated sector, the skill of its professionals holds the key to success and the new venture will help to boost this further.
Simon Bartholomew, franchise director at OSCAR Pet Foods, said: “Following the positive impact on sales of many of our franchisees taking the Level 3 Companion Animal Nutrition qualification, and the many great comments from our customers who value the expert advice they now receive, it seemed logical to become a registered training centre in our own right.”
With its nationwide network of local nutritional advisors, OSCAR Pet Foods says it is perfectly placed to deliver the nutritional evidence that is essential for a confident sale.
To award specific qualifications in pet nutrition, OSCAR has partnered with ABC Awards ‘because they unite educational and skills-orientated organisations that share similar values and objectives’.
OSCAR Pet Foods says its new academy demonstrates a clear desire to help hard-working franchisees grow their businesses with credibility and confidence.
The first course on offer is a Level 3 Certificate in Companion Animal Nutrition tutored by OSCAR’S in-house veterinary, nutritional and behaviour experts Shelley Holden RVN CertSAN CertCFVHNut and Shelley Audis-Riddell CertNut (QCF L3) BSc (Hons) MSc.
The qualification explores nutrition for dogs and cats and covers individual diets and feeding regimes, enabling franchisees to offer the best individual advice for pets. It also studies the anatomy and physiology of pet digestion and UK pet food legislation.
Richard Hebden, franchise owner of OSCAR Pet Foods Flintshire, said: “Knowledge is one of the things you need to take into a conversation with a customer. Being able to offer good advice to customers is a great comfort to them and is a valuable way to establish trust and enable the relationship to continue. We can save customers time and help them make the right decisions, thereby keeping their pets safe and healthy for longer.”