Brock University has an Animal User Training Program in place to ensure that all personnel working with animals are trained and qualified in animal care and use.

Before conducting research or teaching activities involving animals, all personnel must receive appropriate training in accordance with guideline requirements (Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) guidelines on: training of personnel working with animals in science, 2015) and must be associated with an Animal Use Protocol (AUP). The Brock University Animal User Training Program is overseen by the Animal Care Services Manager, who maintains a training database and liaises with principal investigators (PIs), students, and the Animal Care Committee (ACC). Training that animal users receive, whether within the institution or via external institutions, is reported to, assessed by, and recorded by the ACC.

Before starting work with animals, animal users are required to complete video courses available on Brightspace. All animal users must complete the Research Basic Course before working with animals. If you are a new animal user (PI or students) and your AUP has been approved, send an email to Animal Care Services Manager to register for the online training courses. In addition to this mandatory course, the ACC requires that personnel involved in animal studies attend courses relevant to the proposed project. For this, the Brock University Training Program also includes specialized training modules for specific procedures, which users must complete if such procedures are included in their AUPs.

After completing the training, new animal users must sign up for orientation. During orientation, users will receive a tour of the facility and meet with the animal facilities staff. Once orientation is completed, users must sign up for animal handling courses, where they will receive hands-on animal care training from one of the Animal Care Technicians.