City & Guilds Level 2 Diploma in Animal Care

You will study the following units:

Unit 201 – Maintain animal health and welfare
On completion of this unit, you will be able to maintain and promote the health and welfare of a range of animals. You will be able to identify any signs of ill health or impending problems and know how to support and monitor an animals’ recovery.

Unit 202 – Undertake practical animal feeding
During this unit you will learn how to recognise, prepare and select appropriate feeding equipment and foodstuffs needed to keep animals at their optimum nutritional state, including the feeding requirements of animals during different life stages.

Unit 203 – Maintain animal accommodation
This unit looks at the design, construction and maintenance of animal accommodation. On completion you will know how to source accommodation which meets the welfare and safety needs of a range of species, and understand the cleaning and preparation requirements for a variety of animal housing.

Unit 204 – Undertake work related experience
As part of the qualification you will be required to undertake at least 150 hours of work experience in the animal industry; this could be gained through voluntary work or paid employment. This practical experience will increase your confidence and give you the opportunity to apply your new knowledge and skills in the working environment.

Unit 205 – Understand the principles of animal biology
During this unit you will gain an understanding of how the animal body works. You will look at the structure and function of cells and the different body systems. You will also learn how animals are grouped and named and look at the principles of reproduction and heredity.

Unit 206 – Principles and practices of animal behaviour and handling
You will look at the principles of animal behaviour and handling, and how these can be applied in practise. You will be able to identify normal and abnormal behaviour and learn the skills and knowledge to approach animals based on their displayed behaviour to minimise risk and stress.

Unit 210 – Introduction to animal breeds and grooming
At the end of this unit you will gain an understanding of the concepts of animal evolution and domestication, and be able to identify commonly kept breeds of dogs, cats and other pet species. You will also learn how and why we carry out practical small animal grooming.

You will complete assignments, and undertake practical assessments in your place of work.

Our online learning courses can be started at any time. You will work through online course materials and be supported by a personal tutor.

There are no formal academic entry requirements. However you should have a sound level of numeracy, literacy and ICT skills.

You should either be employed, or have a voluntary work placement arranged, in a suitable animal care environment for at least 4 hours per week. This could be in, for example, a rescue centre, pet shop which has animals for sale or a boarding kennels/cattery*. The placement should have a person who has at least two years of animal care experience, or who has a relevant level 2 or above qualification, to be your mentor.

You will need access to at least three animal species as part of your practical assessment; this must include companion dogs and cats and then either small animals (rabbits or rodents) or exotics or large mammals (goats, camelids, donkeys, pigs or other available large mammals). You are able to have more than one work placement during the course to gain this experience.

* Please note that work placements in wildlife hospitals or rescue centres dealing solely with wild animals are not advisable. Veterinary practice placements will be considered on an individual basis and may need to be used in conjunction with another animal care based placement.

Please note: As our courses include online learning components, students are required to have access to a PC or laptop with a reliable internet connection.

• £1,750 - UK students
• £2,375 - Overseas students

Awarding Body Fees - £136.10
All students or employers are required to pay the following awarding body fees in addition to the course fees. Please note that these are recharged at cost and may be subject to change.

CAW Loans2Learn
Course fees must be paid in full before the course begins. If you are unable to do so, we offer a personal loan scheme (Loans2Learn) that can help you to spread the cost into manageable monthly payments over a period of up to five years, subject to eligibility. It can be used to fully, or partially, cover your course fee (but does not cover any awarding body fees, such as enrolment and examination fees which are payable on top). More information can be found here.

The current rate of interest for a CAW Loans2Learn is 9%. Click on the calculator icon to calculate your monthly repayment options based on different repayment term lengths.

Example repayment - a Loans2Learn loan for the full course fee of £1,750 for UK students over 24 months would equate to monthly repayments of approximately £80 per month (please note this is an indicative price based on current fees and interest rates).

General Advice
Sources of financial help can be found on our student finance page. Before making any financial decision it is recommended that you seek advice from an independent source, for example the Money Advice Service.

These are current figures and may be subject to change. The differences in course fees reflect the level of funding that is available as a result of government policies and priorities. These may be as a result of age, employment status, previous education achievements, or location for example, and are outside the control of The College of Animal Welfare.

If you have not achieved your qualification by the planned end date detailed in your individual learning plan, your employer will be able to pay monthly direct debit payments to allow you to continue to receive support and access to your course until certification of your award.

Completion of this City & Guilds animal care qualification will demonstrate to employers and clients your underpinning knowledge and skills, and give you the confidence to apply for animal care jobs, such as:

• Career profile: Rescue Centre Worker
• Career profile: Dog Walker / Pet Sitter
• Career profile: Kennel / Cattery Worker
• Career profile: Pet Shop Assistant
• Career profile: Zookeeper

You may also look at progressing onto a higher level animal care course to continue your learning such as the City & Guilds Level 3 Animal Management.

No, as a private further education provider fees are applicable to all students. We do have a Loans2Learn scheme that can help you to spread the costs of study into manageable monthly payments.

No, you don’t need to be in paid employment, but you will need to be working with animals in some way – this can be via regular volunteering/work experience.

You will need access to one other species to complete some of the assessments, such as rabbits or goats. if you cannot get access to those animals at your current workplace, you could look to undertake some volunteer work in a different placement to complete those assessments.