​Long gone are the days when as a groomer in Ireland having decided that gaining a professional qualification is for you; the clear path to take would be the City & Guilds Level 3. This was historically the number one route to becoming industry recognised qualified. It is a British internationally recognised qualification, Ofqual being the awarding body. The City & Guilds has had many makeovers throughout the years, typically every four years or so a little revamp or name change is to be expected. In most recent years it has evolved from the learners curriculum being three practicals (short legged terrier, spaniel and long legged terrier/poodle/mini schnauzer) and one long written paper.  After this the level 3 had been split in two parts, the introductory certificate at level 3 being the prerequisite to the diploma. Both parts needed to be successfully achieved for a groomer to become fully qualified. Although the modules for both level 3’s were relevant, it lead to confusion for some, and the ability for groomers who had completed their Level 3 Introductory Certificate to say they were level 3 qualified. This version of the qualification also saw the much needed introduction of a Handstrip module, so the evolution was pretty good overall. More work was needed with the introductory assignments, two written papers, practicals and then on to the diploma practicals of three dogs, just like its predecessor.