Want to work with Animals? All you need to know about getting into the industry

Do you prefer animals over people? Is your dog your best friend, and your cat’s your soulmate? If so, you’ve probably considered a career working with animals. But where do you begin? What if you have no experience? And can you study online?

Keep reading to find out! 

What experience do you need to work with animals?

Maybe you’re looking for a career change. Or perhaps you’ve just finished school and don’t know where to begin. No problem. It’s never too late or too early to begin the career you’ve been dreaming of!  Firstly, you probably have more experience than you think you do. If you own a pet, you most likely have basic animal handling experience, a knowledge of breeds, composure under stress, cleaning skills, confidence around animals and a loud, clear voice! With your pre-existing skills, you may be able to get an entry-level job, such as a Dog Daycare Attendant, Stable hand, or even an Animal Transportation Driver. 

But studying a certificate will definitely help open more doors in the animal industry. At Open Colleges, we offer the nationally recognised ACM20117 Certificate II in Animal Studies. This course is for you if you are looking to build a career in animal care or working with animals. It’s designed to get you ready to work under supervision in animal shelters, kennels, catteries, sanctuaries, and veterinary clinics. It will teach you basic animal first aid, proper feeding and watering skills, industry terminology, as well as practical workplace skills, such as the administrative side of working in the animal care industry, how to maintain records, provide reception services and communicate with colleagues. In this course, you will also gain first-hand experience in the animal care industry with 80 hours of structured workplace learning.

So, if you don’t have much experience in the industry, this certificate will teach you the practical skills you need. It looks impressive on your resume and might give you the edge over your competition. 

Can you study the course online?

The answer is yes! With Open Colleges, you can definitely study the ACM20117 Certificate II in Animal Studies online. So, if you’re currently working in another industry and need to keep your current job, you can still enrol with us. As this is an online course, you can enjoy the flexibility and convenience of being able to fit your study around your schedule. Please note, however, that the course also contains a minimum of 80 hours of work placement to give you all the hands-on experience you need. 

What are some potential career outcomes if I complete the ACM20117 Certificate II in Animal Studies?  

If you complete the Certificate II, some potential career outcomes are: Animal Attendant in a Veterinary Clinic or Animal Shelter, an Assistant Animal groomer, Cattery Attendant, Kennel hand, and Pet shop attendant. 

What sort of duties might you be doing?

Some duties may include: Cleaning, feeding and exercising boarding and pound animals, documenting toileting and feeding regimes on veterinary software, assisting with medicating patients, administration duties, including responding to customer enquiries via phone or email.

Also, after completing the certificate, you may choose to go onto further study in related animal fields such as: Veterinary Nursing, Captive Animals, Pet Grooming, Animal Technology, and Companion Animal Services.

The good news is that the number of Animal Attendants grew strongly over the past five years and is expected to continue to grow. The industry shows moderate future growth, and the global pet grooming industry, in particular, has shown great growth. In fact, the Australia pet grooming products market is projected to grow from an estimated $ 141 million in 2020 to $ 276 million by 2025. 

Where do you begin?

You can begin by booking a consultation with one of our friendly enrolment consultants or downloading a free course guide. So if you can’t cross the road without stopping to pat someone’s dog, or you whip your phone out to show people fifty pictures of your cat, then it might be time to take the step towards a career working with animals! This ACM20117 Certificate II in Animal Studies will provide an excellent foundation for your career in animal care.

Each day will be different, and you’ll get to spend your days surrounded by animals. What more could an animal lover want? Take the next step today and begin your dream career working with animals.