Recruiting skilled, committed staff in the animal care sector has never been more important — but it doesn’t have to come with a high upfront cost. Training an animal care apprentice through The College of Animal Welfare allows employers to grow their workforce while benefiting from significant government funding and financial incentives.
Apprenticeships: a cost-effective recruitment route
Animal care apprenticeships are government-funded training programmes designed to help employers develop staff with the exact skills their business needs. Whether you run an animal rescue, boarding kennels, doggy day care centre, zoo, or city farm, for example, apprenticeships allow you to invest in your future workforce while keeping costs manageable.
For most animal care employers in England, the government covers most — and sometimes all — of the training costs.
What financial help is available?
The funding that is available depends on your organisation and circumstances, but may include:
- Government-funded training
Most small and medium employers (SMEs) will only be required to pay 5% of the apprenticeship training costs, and it may be even free for those aged 16-21 years of age. - £1,000 financial incentive payment
Employers training an apprentice under 19 years of age will receive a £1,000 incentive. - No recruitment fees
If you want to recruit a new apprentice, we can help you to do so for free by advertising your vacancy on the National Apprenticeship Service website. We can even filter applications and arrange interviews for you if you wish!
Level 2 and Level 3 Animal Care Apprenticeships
At The College of Animal Welfare we offer:
- Animal Care and Welfare Assistant (Level 2 Apprenticeship) – ideal for those who are new to the industry or working in an assistant role.
- Animal Care and Welfare Manager (Level 3 Apprenticeship) – suited to those who have responsibility for planning the day-to-day husbandry of the animals in their care.
Both programmes are designed to build knowledge, practical competence, confidence, and professional behaviours relevant to the apprentice’s role.
We make funding simple
We understand that funding can sound complicated and that’s why we are here to help. Our funding team can help to:
- Explain costs and funding availability clearly from the outset
- Handle paperwork and funding processes
- Ensure there are no hidden surprises
If you’re like a free, non-obligatory, chat please call our Client Advisor Team on 01480 422060 / email: admin@caw.ac.uk.
Please note that the information in this post is correct at the time of publishing and may be subject to change.