Dick White Academy

Dick White Academy, part of Dick White Referrals near Newmarket in Cambridgeshire, provides specialist apprenticeship-based training for veterinary nurses and animal care staff. Operating under the Dick White Charitable Foundation, the Academy delivers apprenticeships that combine employment in veterinary practices with structured off‑the‑job learning. Through its apprenticeship scheme, Dick White Academy is training nurses from 88 practices, with learner numbers rising from 15 in 2016 to 140 in 2022, and first‑time examination pass rates consistently above the national average. The Academy offers a Level 3 Diploma in Veterinary Nursing apprenticeship, where apprentices are employed in practice and attend the Academy one day per week for lectures and skills development, alongside online exams, assignments, OSCEs, professional discussion and e‑portfolio evidence, leading to registration as a veterinary nurse with the RCVS on successful completion of end‑point assessment. It also delivers online apprenticeship provision such as the VetSkill Level 2 Certificate in Veterinary Care Support for veterinary nursing assistants, taught via virtual classrooms. Dick White Academy emphasises integrity, respect, resilience, accountability and aspiration, supporting apprentices across the East of England and online throughout the UK with access to the facilities and staff of one of Europe’s largest specialist veterinary referral centres.