What is Assessment of Prior Experience and/or Learning (APEL)?
An individual may have completed a course recognised by the ABTC as meeting the Knowledge & Understanding (K&U) requirements for a particular role. These individuals may apply to become a provisional/associate member of an ABTC Practitioner Organisation (PO) as soon as they complete their course and do not need to apply for APEL.
However, not everyone will have had the opportunity to undertake formal study at a college or university or may have studied subjects different to those areas covered by the Standards or completed a course that is not recognised by the ABTC as meeting the requirements.
The APEL process provides an accessible route designed to acknowledge the knowledge and understanding that can be gained through a range of sources including practical experience and both formal and informal learning. These can include:
- A formal course not recognised by the ABTC
- Life experience
- Work experience, both within and outside of the professional animal industry
- Unassessed learning eg conferences, webinars, reading and courses
APEL is a recognised way to progress all learners into and through higher education or to meet a professional standard.
Currently Animal Trainers (ATs) and Animal Training Instructors (ATIs) have their K&Us assessed by the Practitioner Organisation (PO)/Assessing Organisation (AO). Animal Behaviour Technicians (ABTs) and Clinical Animal Behaviourists (CABs) can have their K&U assessed via APEL by the ABTC.
How do I register for assessment?
The fee for APEL assessment is £460.
For further details about the APEL assessment process, what is involved and how to complete an application please take a look at our Applicant Guidance Document .
If you would like to register your interest in being assessed please contact our Assessment Administrator on [email protected] so that we can contact you with all updates including dates for submission in 2026 and beyond and upcoming Q&A sessions for further support and guidance.
If you would like to get started on completing your APEL application please download the Reflective Account Form relevant to the role you wish to apply for: Animal Behaviour Technician or Clinical Animal Behaviourist .
Further support and guidance
We hold regular Q&A sessions to ensure APEL applicants have the opportunity to ask any questions about the process.
A recording of the most recent session (6 August 2025) can be found here.
With apologies, the Q&A scheduled for 1 October has had to be cancelled. APEL Chair sends her sincere apologies, but she is very unwell.
The next APEL Q&A will take place on Wednesday 5 November 2025 at 7.00pm. You can find a zoom link here
Page updated: 1 October 2025