The World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH, formerly OIE), in collaboration with the Department of Livestock (DoL), Ministry of Agriculture and Forests (MoAF), Royal Government of Bhutan is currently conducting back-to-back workshops on Veterinary Workforce (VWF) Development and Veterinary Paraprofessional (VPP) Competency and Curricula Guidelines for Bhutan from 10th to 14th October 2022 in Paro, Bhutan.
The workforce development workshop involved experts from the WOAH to create awareness of the importance of conducting veterinary workforce development towards identifying the appropriate workforce for the effective and efficient delivery of veterinary services in the country. Demonstrations and practice were provided on the tools and approaches to assess the veterinary workforce to the relevant stakeholders. During the VPP competency and curricula Guideline training workshop, the participants will be introduced to WOAH guidelines for VPP competencies and curricula and trained on how to align the current CNR curricula for the VPP diploma and Animal Science graduate programs with WOAH’s competency guidelines using a Competency Alignment Matrix developed by WOAH.
The participants comprise officials from the Department of Livestock (DoL) from both central and field levels including the field veterinary paraprofessionals, Bhutan Agriculture and Food Regulatory Authority (BAFRA); Nature Conservation Division (DoFPS), College of Natural Resources; Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC); Drug Regulatory Authority (DRA), National Statistics Bureau (NSB); and representatives from farmers’ cooperatives.
The workshops are conducted by a team of experts from WOAH and national veterinary services and with fund support from the Japan Trust Fund executed through the WOAH Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific Region, Tokyo Japan.
The main objectives of the Veterinary workforce development workshop are to:
- Raise awareness of the value and importance of veterinary workforce assessment and planning
- Raise awareness of the need to create enabling environment to facilitate the implementation of workforce development plans
- Raise awareness of WOAH tools and guidelines related to the PVS Pathway and workforce development
- Review the country’s situation in veterinary workforce development including data availability for veterinary workforce assessment
- Discuss the approach for workforce assessment and planning
- Identify national priorities and discuss the way forward/initiate drafting of a WFD strategy to take the process forward.
Whereas the Workshop on VPP competencies and curricula guidelines is aimed to:
- Introduce the WOAH Guidelines for VPP Competencies and Curricula development and their application
- Demonstrate and practice the use of the WOAH Guidelines for VPPs in the country including the use of the VPP Curriculum Alignment Matrix (CAM) tool being piloted by WOAH to align the existing CNR curriculum for VPP with that of WOAH’s curricula guidelines and the country’s requirements
- Apply the WOAH Guidelines for VPPs in their practices in Bhutan setting and build the participants’ capacity to review the curriculum by themselves.
- Explore a VPP curricula support mission in the future if Bhutan finds the need for such a mission and identify a possible VPP curriculum working group.
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