Certificate II in Animal Care

ACM20121
12 months
Online with work placement

Do you love animals? Transform your passion into a fulfilling career. Earn a nationally recognised ACM20121 Certificate II in Animal Care online with Swinburne Open Education.

  • Course code: ACM20121

  • Delivery mode: Online with work placement

  • Course duration: 12 months

  • Qualification: Certificate II

  • Eligibility: This course is not available to international students

  • 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

Turn your passion for animals into a career in animal care.

Study online to gain a Certificate II in Animal Care (ACM20121) with Swinburne Open Education. 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.

Maintain work/ life balance with flexible online study, allowing you to continue in a current role.

This course is not available to International students.

 

Skills you'll learn

  • 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

 

 

  • Animal attendant

  • Animal carer

  • Animal bather/washer

  • Pet shop customer service staff

  • Pet care customer service staff

A pet care customer service staff gently smiling while holding a puppy in her arms.

 

Start your animal care career

Source: Career outcome information from Your Career (July 2024).

 

Why study Certificate II in Animal Care online

  • 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.

  • Develop an understanding of the key necessities of animal care, from proper feeding, appropriate hygiene practices, to emergency response.

  • Learn animal health care, basic procedures of treatments, infection control, animal enrichment and providing basic animal first aid.

  • Flexible online study, allowing you to continue in your current role.

A vet, and two other people, look at and pet a dog in a daycare centre.

 

Study online with Swinburne Open Ed

  • Designed and delivered online so you can learn anywhere, anytime

  • Study on any device - desktop, tablet or mobile

  • Learn through regular trainer-lead online sessions and native content

  • Engage with your learning community through online forums and messages

Download your free online course guide

Enter your details and the Swinburne Open team will send you a free course guide with the info to get started. An Enrolment Consultant will be in touch to discuss your options and answer any questions you may have.

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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 online 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 animal care course contains an introductory module and 104 hours of Structured Work Learning and Assessment (SWLA).

Expand units below, to get an understanding of topics and objectives.

ACMGEN201
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 Certificate II animal care qualification. However, participants must be 18 years' old or over.

This course is not available to International students.

The Swinburne Open modern online learning platform has been designed so that you can study online anywhere, anytime. You will need to meet the following IT requirements to use our platform for this Certificate II course:

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. 

The SWLA component of this course will take place after the student has successfully completed all theoretical learning.

See our SWLA Frequently Asked Questions for more information.

Online study FAQs

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.

Read more FAQs

 

Swinburne Open Education is an online education provider and all courses are delivered digitally, allowing you to learn anywhere, anytime. 

Our learning platform is online native and can be accessed on any device. We’ve created a joyful experience with natively accessible information, alleviating the need to download presentations and allowing you to focus on learning the content rather than how to use our platform.

Online modules are broken down into topics and subtopics specific to the module. Each module contains a range of learning styles including written text, diagrams, instructional videos and formative activities that provide you with instant feedback and prepares you for summative assessments. 

Learning is supported by regular trainer-led online sessions. At the end of each module and prior to the sequential module, skills and knowledge are evaluated through summative assessments. Assessment consists of online quizzes, assignments and supervised tests. Through our learning platform you will:

  • Access your learning materials and assessments

  • Undertake and upload assessments

  • Engage and interact with your trainer

  • Participate in student forums and find a ‘study buddy’

  • Access your assessment grades and feedback

  • Access student support services.

More information about learning online with Swinburne Open Education can be found in our Student Handbook.

Support is offered via scheduled live Q&A sessions, all support sessions are recorded and made available for students to view in their own time. If a student has attended a live Q&A session and still needs additional support, a one on one video chat can be arranged with a trainer.

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.

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.

 

 

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