Professional Development
EAZA is committed to enhancing the professionalism and skills of its Members through training opportunities, the European Professional Zookeeper Qualification Framework and a variety of events.
Professional Development
EAZA Academy
The EAZA Academy delivers a wide range of high quality, applied and accessible courses taught by knowledgeable professionals working within the zoo and aquarium community and dedicated to all sectors. The training offer is regularly evaluated to ensure it remains current and of a high value.
Since 2010, the EAZA Academy has delivered over 150 courses to more than 3,800 attendees, of whom 20% were from non-EAZA organisations.
- Curious about our courses offer? Click here.
- Would you like to teach on a course? Please complete this CV and send it to April Adams.
- Follow the EAZA Academy on Facebook for the latest information.
European Professional Zookeeper Qualification Framework (EPZQF)
Zookeeper training opportunities vary greatly across Europe. While some countries have standardised formal qualifications, resources and standardised training opportunities are lacking in many other countries. This has resulted in a clear skills gap in professional zookeeping in many European countries.
The goals of the EPZQF project were to:
- develop a European Professional Zookeeper Qualification Framework identifying the key competencies required to be a professional zookeeper working in an EU zoo or aquarium,
- design several training modules to help staff reach the expected competency levels.
The first phase of the EPZQF project was coordinated by EAZA from 2015-2018, in partnership with several zoos, regional associations, and educational institutions.
The EPZQF was co-funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ programme.
We thank the EPZQF partners
Events
Cooperation is at the heart of EAZA’s work. We organize a variety of general and specialist events to share the latest knowledge of zoo and aquarium practice and learn about each other’s disciplines and expertise.
- Learn more about the different EAZA events!
- Check out the event calendar containing EAZA and non-EAZA gatherings relevant to our community.
- Would you like to host an EAZA event?
We thank the EAZA Academy partners
Fondation Segré
EAZA has been running courses in population management programme management since the mid 1990's. Fondation Segré generously provided the initial financing of the Academy in 2010. We greatly value this support that allowed us to expand the range of courses on offer.
Fondation Segré offers financial support to partner organisations concerned with the conservation of nature and with education. Projects are developed jointly with the partners to set the terms and conditions and the time horizon, which can extend over more than one year.
Following the stated principles of the foundation, it is committed to different types of action, in particular: Conservation of nature and its biodiversity; Education, training and scientific research; Restoration of monuments and preservation of the environment.
Click here to know more about Fondation Segré and the projects it supports.
AZA
The EAZA Academy is pleased to have a Memorandum of Understanding with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to become ‘learning partners’.
Through this agreement approved courses achieved by each organisation are available to available to EAZA and AZA Members and can count towards either the EAZA Academy Diploma or AZA Professional Development Certificate programme.
Visit the Association of Zoos & Aquariums’ website to learn more about their courses, webinars, and conferences that can expand your professional development.
Species360
The EAZA Academy collaborates with Species360 within the 'Introduction to Population Management' course where they deliver training on their Zoological Information Management System - ZIMS.
You can find more specific training opportunities related to ZIMS here.