While Education and Training (E & T) under Directive 2010/63/EU is the responsibility of the Member States, harmonisation and mutual recognition of training programs are important assets for pan-European scientific exchange and mobility of personnel.

For this reason, ETPLAS was established as an information portal to enable information sharing and communication between training providers, approval/accrediting bodies, employers and Member-State authorities. It is composed of a Stakeholders’ Board, an Executive Committee, and a Stakeholder Group.

The EU Education and Training Framework guidance document proposed the creation of an EU Platform and Information Portal on Education & Training, which should be established for a modular training framework, leading to the setting up of ETPLAS, which was acknowledged in the document to be an evolving process.

• a forum for exchanging information on LAS education and training for all stakeholders
• training providers with the necessary information to establish E & T courses
• the user community with information on available E & T courses
• authorities/employers with the necessary information to facilitate the process of mutual recognition of education & training to promote free movement of personnel involved in LAS

• Publish agreed key factors and information requirements for mutual recognition of LAS education and training courses
• Establish a database with information on training courses and accrediting bodies together with their contact details
• Provide a central hub of information relating to key topics in education and training
• Supply training providers with the necessary information to establish additional training courses across the EU
• Provide a mechanism to identify suitable training materials and existing courses for CPD

Mutual recognition is a continuing process which is reliant on good communication between all interested parties. ETPLAS can facilitate this process and can:

• offer advice and information to new and existing accreditation/approval bodies
• offer advice and information to prospective and existing training providers
• facilitate the process to develop and agree quality criteria
• offer the possibility of any recognised laboratory animal science course to be featured on our list (this does not correspond to an endorsement of the courses by ETPLAS)
• encourage consistency of content and outcomes across modules and between training providers
• encourage compliance with declared objectives and procedures in relation to the delivery of training and assessment of the LOs
• review and update the mechanisms for monitoring the successful outcome of training and assessment when deemed useful

ETPLAS is not intended to add bureaucracy or to exercise any means of control over the approval/accrediting processes and mechanisms, or to provide any unfair advantage to any individual or organization that participates. It is there to facilitate and inform.