The EAZA Academy, which aims to deliver a range of professional training and development options for the Europe zoo and aquarium community, has today published its first prospectus with details of courses on offer up to the end of 2011. The publication of the prospectus is a landmark event in the development of the EAZA Academy, which received a big boost last year in the form of a generous donation from the Fondation Segré. EAZA's new Training Officer, Myfanwy Griffith, has been working hard to identify training needs throughout the membership and build a series of courses that reflect those priorities.

The new prospectus includes information about the following courses:

• Introduction to Zoo and Aquarium Management (20 August – 1 September)
• Educational Concepts and Technologies (17-19 October)
• Animal Behaviour and Applications to Husbandry (2-4 November)
• Collection Planning (21-22 November)
• Basic Breeding Programme Management (12-16 December)
• Advanced Breeding Programme Management (16-20 January)

The Academy is also fostering a number of workshops at the EAZA Annual Conference 2011 in Montpellier. These workshops, covering population management software and advice on creating successful PowerPoint presentations, are available free-of-charge to registered conference delegates.

The prospectus also gives an insight into the range of courses that will be offered in coming years and gives examples of how they can fit together to form a complete package of training and education for zoo professionals. This is an exciting new departure for EAZA – ideally the EAZA Academy will grow into a resource and service for all members of our community. Why not see if there's already a course there for you?

You can download the EAZA Academy Prospectus 2011 here.