CQ Graduation celebrates next generation of vet nurses
Graduates were presented with their scrolls by conservation campaigner Cat Capon.
Central Qualifications (CQ) has celebrated the success of its students with its annual Graduation and Awards Ceremony on Saturday, 31 May 2025.
Held in Westminster’s Central Hall, the ceremony saw newly-graduated veterinary nurses celebrate their graduation with an audience of friends and family.
The graduates were presented with their ceremonial scrolls by ecoadventurer and naturalist Catherine ‘Cat’ Capon. Cat, a conservation campaigner, also delivered a keynote speech to the graduates, in which she congratulated them on their successes and discussed the importance of advocating for animal welfare.
The ceremony honored the recipients of CQ’s Diploma in Veterinary Nursing, marking the beginning of their careers as qualified veterinary nurses. The graduates will now be equipped with the nursing knowledge and practical skills needed to begin their careers in the veterinary nursing sector.
Jacqui Garrett, CQ director, said: “It is so rewarding to see a new cohort of veterinary nurses receive their Diplomas at the CQ Graduation and Awards Ceremony.
“This event recognises all of their hard work studying and practising their veterinary nursing skills. I am sure they will have excellent careers and make a difference to the lives of so many animals.”
The ceremony also saw CQ announce the winner of its 2025 VN Educator of the Year. The award recognised Plumpton College lecturer Matt Badham, whose students nominated him for his 'passionate' and 'inspiring' teaching style.
Mr Badham said: “It was always my goal to be a supportive educator for my students and so to realise that many of them must have taken time to write about me for their nominations is honestly very moving."
CQ was recently awarded with full accreditation from RCVS to provide it Level 3 Diploma in Small Animal Veterinary Nursing and Level 3 Diploma in Equine Nursing for the next five years.
The awarding organisation was recognised for his External Quality Assurance Processes, as well as its commitment to continuously improving its OSCE assessment practices. RCVS also noted CQ’s innovative approach of utilising multiple clinical supervisors simultaneously.
CQ says that its new qualifications will enable it to have a more integrated approach to the delivery and assessment of veterinary nursing knowledge.
Image © Central Qualifications
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
