Our mission is to improve the welfare of raptors and owls in the care or control of people. We achieve this through education and training, and issue formal certificates of competence to successful candidates. Our courses are the only courses based directly on the National standards for bird of prey welfare.
You may study this course just for fun, working through each module at your own pace and studying as much or as little as you need. However, you can also work towards formal recognition through our certification process.
Competent candidates interested in obtaining a certificate for this course must complete both the theory and practical at one of our approved centres. Completion of the theory alone will not fully certify you.
Full Award
- For the full award, candidates must demonstrate competence in both the theoretical and practical components of the course. This is achieved by attending a formal course of instruction with an approved Raptor Awards Instructor. This includes face to face assessment of skills such as handling, flying, food preparation and otherwise caring for birds of prey. The instructor will also observe and question candidates to establish knowledge and understanding.
- After successfully demonstrating their skills in practical assessments, along with successfully demonstrating competence in Knowledge and Understanding, candidates receive a full award certificate, indicating comprehensive competence. Raptor Awards have approved assessors in various parts of the UK and in some overseas territories.
- Reasonable adjustments can be made for candidates with recognised needs – contact Raptor Awards if this applies to you.
For more on the full award please click here. For booking a course to gain full certification contact us or one of our assessors.
Theory Only
- Candidates can complete the theoretical components of the course by remote, online self-study using the materials in the course and additional external sources through personal research. To demonstrate competence, you must complete all the online quizzes for assessment, C1-9. You will be assessed on a) your Knowledge of each module, and b) your Understanding of the application of that knowledge. Online theory certificates will only be issued once quizzes C1-9 have been completed to the pass mark or above.
- Online theory only certificates can be issued for those that wish to solely complete the theory assessments.
- Please note that this does not certify you alone, in order for the Raptor Award certification to be obtained, the full award must be completed. For more information click here.
