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Training organisation

Ethology and animal welfare training for zoos and laboratories

Ethology, welfare assessment, enrichment, training, enclosure design: catalogue or tailor-made courses, at your organisation or in Nantes.

Team training, for the benefit of animal welfare

In many European countries, there is neither an official, recognised initial qualification nor continuing professional training for zookeepers. In France, for example, initial training is offered by both public and private institutions, and its content can vary from one institution to another; continuing training remains sporadic.

Akongo offers professional training to zoo and laboratory teams. The courses cover species knowledge and animal welfare, from theory to practice.

Akongo training session in ethology and animal welfare

Our training courses

Each course has its own page: overview, audience, prerequisites, duration, location, capacity and, when a session is scheduled, its date and location.

Two formats: in-house or multi-organisation

Depending on your needs, the course is for your team alone or brings together professionals from several organisations:

In-house, tailor-made

A course built for your team (e.g. ethology, species management, cross-functional skills), at your organisation (zoo, laboratory, educational farm) or on our premises.

Multi-organisation, from the catalogue

A catalogue course, open to professionals from several organisations, on our premises in Nantes or at a venue provided by Akongo.

Our training approach

Each course follows the same stages, from the initial questionnaire to the final review:

  1. 1

    Identify needs

    Before the course, each participant fills in a questionnaire to specify their level, expectations and needs.

  2. 2

    Adapt the content

    Our team of trainers builds the course around the participants, with the aim of making it accessible to all.

  3. 3

    Alternate theory and practice

    Theory lessons, practical workshops and experience sharing, followed by an assessment of what has been learnt.

  4. 4

    Collect feedback

    At the end of the course, each participant fills in a satisfaction questionnaire. Their feedback is used to improve our courses.

Akongo, Qualiopi-certified training organisation

Akongo was audited by AFNOR and obtained Qualiopi certification under the “Training actions” category in December 2020, renewed in 2024. The current certificate is valid from 18 December 2024 to 13 December 2027.

Qualiopi is the quality certification for organisations that provide training. Introduced by the French law of 5 September 2018 on the freedom to choose one's professional future, it is based on a single national framework and assesses the organisation against seven criteria:

Qualiopi
  • How information is provided to the people being trained
  • Precise identification of the objectives of the services
  • Adaptation to the target audiences
  • Suitability of the teaching resources
  • Qualifications of staff and development of their knowledge and skills
  • The provider's involvement and engagement in its professional environment
  • Collection and consideration of the feedback and complaints made by stakeholders in the services delivered
Download the certificate
Qualiopi certification ensures that we provide relevant and effective courses for all our learners.
Léa Briard, PhDHead of R&D · AKONGO

EPZQF, a European framework for zookeepers

Discover the EPZQF framework

The European EPZQF project (European Professional Zookeeper Qualification Framework), currently under development, aims to identify the key skills required to work in a zoo in the European Union, and to design modules for the initial and continuing training of zookeepers. It is funded under Erasmus+, with the support of EAZA (European Association of Zoos and Aquaria) and several of its member zoos.

Akongo follows the development of the project, contributes to it and includes its modules in its courses.

Train your teams in Animal Welfare Monitor

All our plans can be used independently or with support.

Technical support, included

In all plans, technical support and updates are included, with no paid version: your teams use the tool at their own pace.

Team training, optional

Our ethologists and veterinarians offer on-site or remote sessions: welfare assessment, use of the tools, observation methodology, interpretation of results. Invoiced separately.

Discover our support

Practical information

The conditions of our courses are set out in our general terms and conditions of sale and in the training rules:

General terms and conditions of sale Training rules Contact page
Price
Stated on the quote, in euros excluding VAT. Any course that has started is payable in full.
Funding
Funding by an OPCO (French skills operator) or another funding body is possible. Any part not covered is invoiced to the organisation. If the funding agreement does not reach Akongo before the start of the course, the full amount is invoiced to the organisation.
Cancellation and postponement
A cancellation received at least one month before the start of the course gives rise to a full refund or credit note. For a cancellation or postponement notified between one month and one week before the start, 50% of the course price is retained; a course cancelled one week or less before it starts is payable in full.
Accessibility
Our courses aim to be accessible to all. People with disabilities are invited to let us know when they first contact us, specifying the nature of the disability, so that we can adapt their reception.
Complaints
A complaint form is available on the Contact page.

Organise a course for your team

Contact our team to register for a session, or to build a course suited to your organisation. We will then send you a quote.
Contact us