The Learnership Program
Organisation Background
Animal Health Hydro (AHAH) began in 2009 due to an interest in
investigating integrative therapies to support physically compromised
animal companions. Since then, the company has grown considerably,
providing an amazing opportunity to serve our human clients, their animal companions, our industry colleagues, and the greater community.
The AHAH organization is comprised of three branches in Gauteng and
three branches in Cape Town where teams of dedicated veterinary health care professionals, are committed to creating quality of life for all the animals we treat. This is achieved through physical rehabilitation, pain management, education, and community support. We use integrative healing methods to find unsurpassed individual solutions best suited for animal companions. In addition to the physical rehabilitation of animals we also help with the fitness and conditioning of canine and equine athletes.
Our core business is to make pets feel better and we do this by providing individualized therapy and veterinary solutions for our patients.
Project Executive Summary
Experience and employability of Animal Health Technicians
The scope of an Animal Health Technician (AHT) includes, but is not limited to, assisting in Veterinary or Animal Welfare clinics by collecting appropriate animal samples, or handling animals for vets and nurses while under their supervision. AHTs should also be able to handle collected samples safely, implement vaccination programmes, run basic lab tests, and be able to take and record basic animal stats such as temperature, the appearance of mucous membranes, and to assess the main lymph nodes – as per the South African Veterinary Council’s (SAVC) day-one skills. However, the stark reality is, that by the time many AHTs graduate, they have received limited hands-on experience working with small animals such as dogs and cats and thus, struggle to find employment based on the need for more comprehensive hands-on skills required by employers.
Improving patient Outcomes
Many patients experience significant benefits from rehabilitation following surgery. For conditions such as polyradiculoneuritis, outcomes can be greatly enhanced when physical interventions are provided during the patient’s hospital stay. Ideally, every surgical hospital should have an on-site physiotherapist to deliver daily treatment to in-hospital patients.
Consider a major orthopaedic or neurological surgical intervention on a human patient, in a human hospital. While still in-hospital the patient will receive visits from a physiotherapist or occupational therapist to help improve the outcomes of their surgery. Why would it be any different for our animal patients?
Unfortunately, South Africa faces a shortage of qualified physiotherapists to meet this critical need. While our graduates cannot replace the specialised expertise of veterinary physiotherapists, the training we provide equips them to bridge an essential gap—supporting rehabilitation between in-hospital care and the point at which patients are discharged and able to begin outpatient physiotherapy with their qualified veterinary physiotherapist.
Programme Rationale
The Health & Welfare Sector Education & Training Authority (HWSETA) have previously reported to AHAH that they do not fully understand the need for Veterinary hospitals to hire AHTs with broader hands-on skills than those obtained through their qualification. AHAH has addressed this directly by recruiting and self-funding internships for two graduating AHTs through the YES4Youth Learnership Programme in order to upskill them within a hands-on clinical setting. By doing this, AHAH has been able to demonstrate areas where important skills are lacking and provide a practical solution that builds capacity and knowledge for the recruited AHTs, while affording them a stipend that covers the 1-year learnership period. There is capacity to recruit another two learners into this programme, but to make this possible, additional funding is required.
Programme Goals:
1. To uplift qualifying Animal Health Technicians by giving them vital skills to enable them to work in a Small Animal Surgical hospital or to start a business of their own in their communities where they choose to live.
2. To make our learnership candidates more employable and to contribute to the industry by providing much needed skills in a surgical animal hospital setting, with the aim of helping to improve surgical
outcomes for patients.
3. To provide ongoing, tangible evidence that learnerships such as those provided by AHAH can bridge a gap between qualifying as an AHT and gaining additional skills (both practical and administrative)
that are often required by employers in the veterinary healthcare and animal welfare sectors.
4. To help build capacity in smaller (veterinary) businesses. Current employment opportunities for AHT graduates are limited and many AHTs struggle to get work, gain experience or are forced to volunteer to get the
additional experience required. If they do find employment, their options largely involve working “behind-the-scenes” in a clinical setting. By addressing the needs of veterinary businesses to hire employees with greater clinical and administrative skills, the goal is also to improve the career prospects of all learners participating in the AHAH programme.
We would like to invite industry corporate partners to sponsor one of two recently graduated Animal Health Technicians for a 12-month YES4Youth learnership at our veterinary physiotherapy and step-down facility. This initiative aligns with national goals to reduce youth unemployment while empowering the next generation of skilled professionals in animal health care.
Learnership Overview
Each sponsored youth / learnership candidate will receive:
• A monthly stipend of between R6,500 and R7,500 (covered by the corporate sponsor)
• A structured 12-month work experience in a registered veterinary practice which operates as a step-down and veterinary physiotherapy facility.
• Candidates will work under the supervision of the qualified, registered veterinarian and industry leader Dr Tanya Grantham and Dr Peta-Danielle Muller- Diebicht, as well as SAVC registered veterinary physiotherapists currently employed at Animal Health and Hydro.
• Exposure to clinical, administrative, and customer service skills
• Minimum 62 CPD points accredited by the South African Veterinary Council (SAVC)
Skills & Experience Gained
The program includes hands-on training in:
• Assisting with patient consultations and client interactions.
• Access to assist within the scope of an Animal Health Technician in at least three welfare sterilisation and vaccination campaigns in the 12-month period.
• Some surgical assistance in minor surgical procedures conducted at the step-down facility.
• Veterinary practice administration and management
• Customer service and communication
• In-hospital patient care in a step-down facility
• Post-operative physiotherapy (basic and advanced)
• Basic business management principles
Corporate Sponsor Benefits
By sponsoring this learnership, your company will:
• Qualify for UP TO 2 levels of B-BBEE scorecard enhancement under the YES programme
• Contribute to environmental, social and governance (ESG) and social impact goals by aligning with National goals of helping to reduce unemployment
• Support skills development in a high-impact sector
• Improve animal patient outcomes
• Receive branding and recognition as a youth empowerment partner
• There is also a potential benefit on the PAYE being paid by AHAH to SARS on behalf of the
sponsored youth, however, this is dependent on whether the stipend paid to the candidate is within the PAYE tax bracket requiring PAYE to be deducted.
Compliance & Reporting
As a host partner, we will:
• Make every effort to select the most suitable candidates for the role including the undertaking of a rigorous recruitment process
• Ensure full compliance with YES4Youth programme requirements
• Provide quarterly progress reports and learner evaluations
• Facilitate CPD tracking and certification through SAVC
• Help the candidates find permanent placements once the learnership program is completed
Sponsorship Request
We are seeking sponsorship for:
2 youth candidates – Sponsors may choose to support one or both learners.
• R7,000 per learner per month
• Total investment: R84, 000 per learner for 12 months
Let's Build the Future Together
Responsible Investing (ESG) has numerous benefits, both to the investing individual/organisation as well as to the individual(s) or entity receiving the sponsorship. For corporate partners, it provides the opportunity to align their financial investment(s) with existing company (or personal) values and ethics. It also enables companies to positively contribute to social and environmental change, and, in turn, positively impact their brand image. Additionally, in South Africa, it enables companies to improve their BBBEE levels and scores, which can be especially challenging for large, listed entities.
“My name is Kagiso David Diamond, a fully Qualified Animal Health Technician. Before I joined Animal Health and Hydro, I had been unemployed for almost a year, and I had no idea that there is even a
Physiotherapy for animals, since they gave me an opportunity to join them after my application for the internship I grabbed the chance with both hands. I also joined Animal Health and Hydro, so I can grow and understand other studies related to Veterinary Field. My decision of joining AHAH was the best decision ever, I was a little bit stressed if I would not understand the study of Veterinary Physiotherapy but then the
teachings I received from AHAH were amazing, both theory and practical. They offered me an online course which I was doing throughout the course of the time while I work with them, and it was fantastic as it makes it easier to understand the basics and principles of Veterinary Physiotherapy as well. Today I can stand and say that the Knowledge I have about Veterinary Physiotherapy is incredible, and it’s all because of AHAH and I’m really grateful for that.”
To find out how you can sponsor or participate please contact the programme manager:
Programme Manager : Denico Brand on admin@drtanyagrantham.co.za