Saturday, September 9, 2017

STUDENT KEEPER



STUDENT KEEPER

We have an exciting opportunity for sandwich placement students to work alongside our animal keeping team from September 2018. Due to the popularity of these placements increasing in the past few years, we can now only offer 12-month placements for animal department student keepers – but for a shorter 3/ 6/ 9-month placement we do have a curatorial assistance/ technical assistance student role – helping with EAZA/ IUCN programmes (ZIMS for studbooks, husbandry guidelines, analysis of population questionnaires and TAG-level work) – please contact me separately if any students show an aptitude for this level of work.


In 2012 Blackpool Zoo launched a new Student Keeper Programme. The programme offers students an opportunity of a year's placement working in our animal department. The 'student keeper' works alongside our experienced animal team in one of four departments.

This programme runs from September till August. Applications are welcome throughout the year, however the students are chosen earlier in the year (January) to start in the September.  The Student Keeper programme is aimed at students undertaking a sandwich year in industry placement within their degree.
As this position is voluntary and therefore unpaid we recognise that this takes a level of commitment from individuals, therefore we aim to provide each Student Keeper with a structured learning programme to help them in their future careers. We offer each Student Keeper:

*         Full health and safety training and continuous training as and when required
*         The opportunity to work alongside our most experienced Keepers and look after a section of the department
*         Keepers uniform
*         A monthly tutorial, each aspects of working with animals and within a modern day zoo
*         A full reference and portfolio
*         The opportunity to carry out mini-projects/ research








Peter Dickinson
Independent International Zoo Consultant
      


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