Do you love working with animals? Develop your practical skills through this online course and turn your passion for animals into a career in animal care.
This online animal care course will equip you with the knowledge and skills to provide care for pets and other animals. You will develop an understanding of the key necessities of animal care, from proper feeding, appropriate hygiene practices, to emergency response. You will learn animal health care, basic procedures of treatments, infection control, animal enrichment and providing basic animal first aid. You will also learn administrative work in the animal care industry, for example, how to maintain records, provide reception services and communicate with colleagues and customers. You will develop and apply your practical skills through Structured Workplace Learning and Assessment (SWLA) and build your industry relationships.
This nationally recognised certificate will qualify you to provide care for animals in pet shops, animal shelters, kennels, catteries, sanctuaries or veterinary clinics. You can turn your passion for animals into a career in the growing animal care industry, working as an animal attendant, an animal carer or a customer service staff in the animal care environment.
Course code: ACM20121
Delivery mode: Online
Course duration: 12 months
Qualification: Certificate II
Nationally recognised: Yes
Structured Workplace Learning and Assessment: Yes
Awarded by: Swinburne University of Technology
Assessments:
- Online quizzes, including multiple choice and short answer questions
- Portfolio of evidence, written reports & case studies
- Video and audio role plays and demonstrations.
You will learn to:
How to work with people and animals in the care industry
Animal industry related administration
Practical feeding and hygiene skills
Emergency response and first aid
Career options include:
Animal attendant
Animal carer
Animal bather/washer
Pet shop customer service staff
Pet care customer service staff.
Start your animal care career
92.6% Student satisfaction
Percentage of graduates of this course who were satisfied with the training.
42.5% Improved Their Career
Percentage of course graduates started or expanded a business, landed on a new job, or skilled up for a promotion or a pay raise.
$38,300 Salary
The middle of the range of salary earned of course graduates starting their first ever full-time job after graduating.
92.6% Student satisfaction
Percentage of graduates of this course who were satisfied with the training.
42.5% Improved Their Career
Percentage of course graduates started or expanded a business, landed on a new job, or skilled up for a promotion or a pay raise.
$38,300 Salary
The middle of the range of salary earned of course graduates starting their first ever full-time job after graduating.
Source: The above statistics (accessed on 20 January 2022) are for course graduates in the Health field (Certificate II). See more details at MySkills.gov.au
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Study on any device - desktop, tablet or mobile
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Online course modules
Once you have enrolled in this course, you can access our online platform and start with the first module. You will need to complete a module and then the next module becomes available to you.
This course contains 12 online modules, which have been designed to cover the following units of competency, including 7 core units and 5 elective units. This course contains an introductory module and 104 hours of Structured Work Learning and Assessment (SWLA).
ACMGEN201 Work in the animal care industry
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to carry out animal care work, using ethical and humane practices and contributing to a productive work environment.
ACMGEN202 Complete animal care hygiene routines
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to provide daily care of animals, including the cleaning of animal housing, and grooming or cleaning of animals.
ACMGEN203 Feed and water animals
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to prepare, present and distribute food and water for animals according to animal dietary requirements.
ACMGEN204 Assist in health care of animals
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to provide assistance to experienced staff in the handling and securing of animals for assessment and the preparation, application and documentation of health care treatments and first aid.
ACMSUS201 Participate in environmentally sustainable work practices
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to measure current resource use effectively, and to carry out improvements, including those that will reduce the negative impacts of work practices on the environment.
ACMWHS201 Participate in workplace health and safety processes
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to work safely and participate in work health and safety processes in an animal care environment.
BSBCMM211 Apply communication skills
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to apply basic communication skills in the workplace, including identifying, gathering and conveying information along with completing assigned written information.
ACMBEH302 Provide enrichment for animals
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to provide enrichment to stimulate, replenish and maintain appropriate behavioural patterns of all animals, including those housed short-term or long-term in an animal care facility.
ACMGEN205 Source and provide information for animal care needs
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to source, interpret and provide information on animal care products and services to complete workplace tasks and to provide information to others.
ACMGEN309 Provide basic animal first aid
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to provide essential first aid for animals. The first aider is not expected to deal with complex cases or incidents, but to provide an initial response where first aid is required.
ACMGEN310 Provide reception services for an animal care facility
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to undertake office reception and administration activities, including scheduling and basic financial tasks for an animal care facility.
ACMINF201 Handle companion animals safely and follow infection control guidelines
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to safely handle companion animals and maintain clean, hygienic conditions for effective infection control in a range of environments where companion animals are cared for on a temporary basis. The unit focuses on dogs and cats.
Course requirements
There are no formal requirements for this Cert II animal care qualification. However, participants must be 18 years' old or over.
Eligible for Australian and New Zealand Residents and Citizens only.
Our modern online learning platform has been designed so that you can study anywhere, anytime. You will need to meet the following IT requirements to use or platform:
Desktop or laptop
Latest version of Chrome or Safari
Microsoft Office (2010 or higher)
Adobe PDF Reader
Mobile or tablet*
Latest version of Chrome or Safari
Latest version of Android
Latest version of iOS
* Students using a mobile or tablet will need to upload documents from a laptop or desktop or have a Dropbox account.
This course is delivered online with Structured Workplace Learning and Assessment (SWLA). It contains 15 modules, which have been designed to cover 12 units of competency. This course contains an introductory module and 104 hours of Structured Workplace Learning and Assessment. SWLA is applied to all units to ensure that course graduates develop adequate practical skills in an animal care environment.
SWLA in this course is completed in 2 blocks and each block covers 6 units of competency. Block 1 requires a minimum of 54 hours of placement in approved facilities, and Block 2 requires 50 hours of placement in approved facilities.
See our SWLA Frequently Asked Questions for more information.
Frequently asked questions
We understand you need to fit study around your busy life. Our online learning platform is designed with this in mind, so you can study on any device, anywhere, anytime.
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions.
Q. How can I access trainer support?
You can access our dedicated trainer support using your choice of communication – online chat, email, phone call, or video chat.
Q. Do you help me find a job once I graduate?
At Swinburne Open Education, it’s not only about qualifications. We know you want to get a good job when you finish your studies, and our Careers Team will help you with valuable job-hunting skills such as CV writing and interview techniques. We are here to support you every step on the way. Our job finishes when yours starts.
Q. Can I pause my study if something in my life changes?
Self-paced learning gives you the flexibility to fit study around your life. We understand life doesn’t always go to plan. You can apply for extensions for up to 6 months (3 months per extension) if needed. See more details in our full FAQs.
Q. What if the course end up not being right for me?
If you are less than half way through your enrolment period and it’s not working out, you can opt-out of the second half and reduce your course fee liability to 50% of the total course fee. Refer to the Student Agreement for full terms and conditions.
Wondering how to fit online learning into your life?
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