Traineeships are a great way to get into the industry which is right for you. A traineeship will give you all of the necessary abilities to pursue work in your chosen area, setting you up for long-term career growth.
While not as trades-focussed as an apprenticeship, a traineeship can still be an essential part of your career advancement and will give you a wide range of skills.
Animal care and management is one area where you will need to undertake a certificate of study, with these skills laying the foundation for a range of different jobs across the industry.
After completing a level two certificate, you can find employment in fields like dog grooming or attending a shelter. At the other end of the spectrum, work as an animal technician or veterinary nurse will require the completion of a diploma.
The pet industry employs 44,000 people in Australia, and people are spending more than $6 billion annually on their pets, according to the Australian Companion Animal Council. With these trends holding strong over time, there will likely be a number of different opportunities available in this area.
So what do you need to know before embarking on a certificate or diploma in animal management?
The first thing to understand is that animal management is heavily dependent on the area you live in. Many of the services involved in this profession, like animal management, are in highest demand in rural areas, meaning your future work will likely be based in the countryside.
On the other hand, there is much greater demand for animal shelter and pet handling workers in cities and suburban environments.
Another factor to consider is that your work will likely be on limited scale. Animal care services are usually small businesses employing only a handful of staff. In this environment, it is very important that you can get along with your immediate work colleagues as well as handle whatever pets and livestock you are asked to look after.
Once you know what is involved in your preferred course of study, make sure you research the opportunities in your area, using a dedicated trainee program service like Apprenticeship Central. Through this website you can easily upload your resume and find a match with an employer in your area. These free services will give you a better idea of the job prospects which exist in your preferred industry.
If you aren’t yet at this stage, there are also plenty of tools out there to help in choosing a career. The Harrison Online Assessment is one of these options, which can take information you give as part of the survey and then patch it against a database of apprenticeships and traineeships. These services can give you a better idea of the options which might be the best for your needs and interests.
By taking these steps, you can be sure that your career in animal care and management gets off to the right start.
