Animal Care Apprenticeships

Working within the Animal Care industry can be very fulfilling, with opportunities ranging from working in kennels and catteries to working with guide dogs, rescue cases or exotic animals.

When working in the industry you will be covering areas such as health and welfare, handling and supervision. Whether the animal is a pet or part of the wildlife, they require the skilled attention of devoted and well training people in order to ensure their well-being.

Skills, experience and qualifications can all make you stand out to potential employers as you progress your career, so why not consider the best of both worlds with an Animal Care Apprenticeship, to give you a mix of on- and off-the-job learning.

What is an Apprenticeship?

Apprenticeships are an excellent way of gaining qualifications and workplace experience. As an employee you can earn as you learn, gaining practical skills from the workplace, with support and training from Writtle University College. The Apprenticeship Framework and Standards are designed to allow you to develop skills that are needed in the animal care industry by combining knowledge and vocational competency elements, with transferable skills such as English and Maths.

What's involved with the Animal Care Apprenticeship

The Animal Care Apprenticeship has been designed to provide you with the expertise you need and the flexibility to customise your learning to suit your specialism and employment. The Apprenticeship can be studied at level 2 Apprenticeship Standard or as an Advanced Apprenticeship at level 3, to suit your experience and career.

The course combines developing your under-pinning knowledge in Animal Care by attending WUC for one day a week, with building your practical experience by being employed in the industry. Over the duration of the course you will build up a portfolio to demonstrate your knowledge and practical skills as well as written work.

The Apprenticeship program normally has intakes in September, February and May. On average our level 2 Apprenticeships take around 13-18 months. However, the time scale of an Apprenticeship is flexible and will depend on the Apprentices prior experience.