Certificate II in Animal Care ACM20121

If you want a career working with animals, but have no experience in the field of animal care, then this course is perfect for you.

Animal Care Information Session

Curious about studying Animal Care? Join our weekly Animal Care Q&A sessions to explore the course, get industry insights, and connect with your trainer. Ask your questions live and see if this path is right for you.

• Every Monday at 11.30 AM – 12:00 PM
• Microsoft Teams meeting: Join meeting now
• Meeting ID: 485 118 792 658 2
• Passcode: Jc7YH6js

This course will take you through the fundamentals of animal care. During your study, you will learn how to:

• Carry out animal care work using ethical and humane practices
• Prepare, present and distribute food and water for animals
• Participate in work health and safety processes
• Communicate effectively in the workplace, identify , gather and convey information
• Provide assistance when handling animals for assessment and health care treatments
• Identify both dogs and cats, and their behavioural and physical needs
• Provide daily care of animals
• Provide essential / initial response first aid for animals
• Measure current resource use effectively and carry out improvements
• Undertake office reception and administration activities
• Source, and provide information on animal care products and services

• Multiple choice Quiz
• Projects
• Role plays
• Video
• Work Placement
• Written assignments

The duration for the course is maximum 18 months. As a self-paced online course, the time it will take you to complete is flexible and dependent on ability and time available.

Recommended Local Entry Requirements

Students will need to be at least 16 years old. Students under 18 will need a parent or guardian to complete the parent or guardian declaration on the Enrolment Form.

Students residing in WA/NT under the age of 18, who are not currently studying for their year 12 certificate cannot be enrolled.

Students are recommended to have the language, literacy, and numeracy skills that ensure the ability to read and comprehend technical terms and communicate effectively through email.

These skills are equivalent to:

• Successfully completed Year 10 OR
• ACSF Level 2

Tools, equipment, and skills required:

• Access to up to 3 people to participate in role plays and assessments
• Access to a device with audio & video capabilities to record simulated role-play tasks for submission
• Tripod to provide a stable and secure platform to mount the digital recording device
• Basic computing skills
• Access to a modern computer with high-speed internet
• Access to Microsoft Office

Additional Requirements:

• Students will need to be reasonably physically fit as the role may involve heavy lifting up to 10kg without assistance
  
  

• By undertaking a work placement you’ll get a chance to put the knowledge you’ve learned on your course into practice.
• You’ll also develop practical, on-the-job skills and could make contacts that could help you find a job once you graduate.
• Work placement is often the most rewarding part of a student’s course. Working face-to-face with clients and colleagues in your chosen field makes a huge difference to your career confidence.

Focus on your studies while we handle your work placement. Through our partnership with SkilTrak, our Guaranteed Work Placement ensures you gain hands-on experience in your dream career—right in your local area. Learn more

• Meet with SkilTrak – Their team will discuss your skills, goals, location, and travel preferences to arrange the best placement for you.
• We’ll do the work – While you continue your coursework, we’ll be behind the scenes securing the perfect placement match.
• Get the details – Have a quick chat with us to go over what to expect from your work placement experience.
• Start your placement – Gain real-world experience while we check in along the way to ensure everything is running smoothly.
• Complete your course – Once your placement is done, upload your workbooks, finish your final assessment, and receive your certificate.

The Structured Workplace Learning (SWL) will require a minimum of 120 hours.

These hours will be split into 2 sections:

60 hours – Work placement (Module 7) - Can be completed with any species of companion animal, wildlife or captive. Must have access to 2 species of animals, feeding and watering animals, cleaning housing, assisting with treatments (e.g., oral/topical parasite control) and bathing and/or grooming equipment. PLEASE NOTE: work placement cannot be completed with large animals such as cattle, sheep, chickens, or any other livestock.

60 hours – Work placement (Module 14) - Must complete hours with Felines and Canines and have access to reception duties

There will also be specific assessment tasks including a logbook and portfolios to be completed at the workplace.

Workplaces suitable to undertake SWL include:

• Veterinary Practices
• Boarding Facilities
• Retail Pet Stores
• Kennels and Catteries
• Companion Animal Breeding Facilities
• Animal Welfare Facilities
• Daycare Facilities for companion animals

The workplace will need to provide Animal Care services and have access to a range of animal species, at a minimum housing dogs and cats.

For students to be able to undertake the practical component of the course, approved workplaces must be able to provide students with the required equipment, environments, policies & procedures, documentation, appropriate supervisor, and clients. If host organisations are unable to provide the necessary equipment, resources, and access to clients the student may be required to undertake SWL within 2 (or more) organisations.

The workplace may require the student to meet workplace specific requirements. These will vary by state and by organisation.

Some of the statutory checks and requirements the student may need to provide to commence work placement are:

• National Criminal Record Check
• Code of Conduct
• Confidentiality Agreement
• Occupational Assessment, screening and vaccination against infectious diseases including COVID-19, Hepatitis B, Q fever, Tetanus, or Rabies

These may vary by state. In addition, individual workplaces may impose additional requirements on students undertaking work placement.

Please note that your host organisation may require you to provide an up to date immunisation history prior to the commencement of your work placement. Open Colleges has no control over this requirement so if you are unable to provide this, you will need to discuss it with your intended Host Organisation.

It should also be noted that some immunisations, such as Hepatitis B and COVID-19, need multiple injections to be administered over a specific time period before you are deemed immune. It is important that you consult with your GP as soon as possible to avoid delays in starting your work placement.

Workplace supervisors are required to have any of the following qualifications:

• Holds a Certificate III or higher in Companion Animal Studies, Captive Animals, Pet Grooming, Animal Technology, or Animal Studies, OR
• Has a minimum of two years' experience working in the animal care sector, regularly performing care routines such as grooming, capture and restraint, feeding, watering, and other tasks involving commonly encountered animal species in the industry.