Level 2 Traineeship in Animal Care

The Level 2 Traineeship in Animal Care aims to develop your understanding, knowledge and practical skills in relation to small animal care. It provides excellent preparation for working with animals and is suitable for those who wish to enter a wide range of careers from dog grooming to working in a zoo.

P11012

Bangor, Downpatrick, Lisburn

Full-Time

Further Education

Animal Care

Available Sessions

We have 3 sessions available for application on this course in Bangor, Downpatrick, Lisburn.

Why Study This Course

This traineeship is ideal for someone who has recently left school and obtained their GCSEs, and wanting to learn and to develop skills to pursue a career in animal industry.

The course also includes a significant amount of industry work experience, this will give you the opportunity to experience potential careers before fully committing to that pathway.

You will study modules relating to animal health and welfare, animal biology, feeding animals and animal handling.

The course aims to develop your wider skills, as well as providing you with the technical skills and knowledge in your chosen area. The Traineeship will help you to develop a range of transversal skills that are important for employment including:

Problem solving
Teamwork
Communication
Time management
Entrepreneurship

Our College Animal Houses are stocked with a wide variety of species which are required due to the very practical nature of the programme.

Course Overview

The Traineeship programme will provide an opportunity for you to achieve the following key elements:

A main Level 2 vocational based qualification
Vocational skills development
Transversal and digital skills
Work placement (facilitated by the College, lasting at least 60 hours over the year)
Literacy and numeracy qualifications up to Level 2 (may include GCSE qualifications in English and Mathematics)
Additional qualifications deemed necessary for work within the sector e.g. Health and Safety

You will need:

4 GCSEs grades D-G, including at least Grade D in Maths and Grade D in English or Essential Skills Level 1 in Literacy & Numeracy

Applicants that have not obtained the above grades may be eligible to enrol as an Introductory Trainee.

Please contact us for further information.

Modules may include:

Animal Health
Introduction to Animal Biology
Animal Welfare & Ethics
Animal Behaviour Assessment and Safe Handling
Animal Husbandry
Animal Care Industry Employment
Practical Animal Care Project

All trainees who have attained the Full Traineeship Diploma may progress to employment or further study on a programme like the Level 3 National Foundation Diploma Animal Management*.

The college also offers a Higher Education pathway in the form of a Level 4 HNC and a L5 HND in Animal Management.

Possible career pathways may include:

Veterinary
Animal welfare
Agriculture and equine study
Zoological and behavioural studies

* Please see specific entry criteria for Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Animal Management for further details.

Available Sessions

We have 3 sessions available for application on this course in Bangor, Downpatrick, Lisburn.

For more information or help with this course send us an enquiry and a member of our team will get back in touch.

Abbie McGaw

Level 2 Traineeship in Animal Care

My favourite part of the course must be the practical side. On Friday we clean out the cages, feed all the animals and get to handle them which is brilliant.

Available Sessions

Title	Campus	Start	Spaces
Level 2 Traineeship in Animal Care Y11012BF1A-25/26-FT	Bangor	01/09/2025	18	More Info
Level 2 Traineeship in Animal Care Y11012DF1A-25/26-FT	Downpatrick	01/09/2025	18	More Info
Level 2 Traineeship in Animal Care Y11012LF1A-25/26-FT	Lisburn	01/09/2025	18	More Info
Please select a campus from the list above to view the available sessions.

Customer Enquiries

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Terms & Conditions

Students will be required to comply with SERC's Terms & Conditions of study.

We strive to ensure the description of courses on SERC's website and in publications is accurate. However, for various reasons there may be occasions when the College may need to change arrangements or be unable to deliver classes due to circumstances such as reduced funding. If there are insufficient numbers applying for a course it may not be viable to deliver the class.

Courses are continually reviewed to take advantage of new teaching approaches and developments in research, industry and the professions. Please be aware that modules may change for your year of entry. The exact modules available and their order may vary depending on course updates, staff availability, timetabling and student demand. Please contact the course team for the most up to date module list.

Further Education

If you have just completed your GCSEs, Further Education is most likely the option for you. FE covers qualifications from entry to higher level qualifications such as Awards, Certificates, Diplomas, NVQ, BTEC and Apprenticeships.

Explore Further Education