🐾 Welcome to ACM20121 Certificate II in Animal Care


🏥 Where You Might Work

This course prepares you to work in places such as:

  • Animal shelters and rescue centres

  • Boarding and day care facilities

  • Animal sanctuaries

  • Veterinary clinics and hospitals

🧠 What You’ll Learn

Throughout the course, you’ll develop hands-on skills and knowledge to:

  • Safely care for different types of animals

  • Follow hygiene and safety procedures

  • Handle animals in a calm and respectful way

  • Support animal health and wellbeing

  • Work as part of a team in animal care environments

🤝 Learning Support

You’ll be supported every step of the way with:

✔ Friendly trainers to guide you through practical tasks
✔ Easy-to-follow resources and instructions
✔ Feedback on your progress and help when you need it
✔ A clear learning structure with supervised activities

ACMGEN203 Feed and water animals

This course gives you the skills and knowledge to safely and effectively prepare, present, and distribute food and water for a wide range of animals, following species-specific dietary needs and workplace protocols.

You'll learn how to read feeding charts, use hygiene and safety practices, monitor food intake, and adjust to common feeding challenges — all while supporting animal welfare and promoting health through proper nutrition and hydration.

ACMINF201 Handle companion animals safely and follow infection control guidelines

This course teaches you how to safely handle dogs, cats and other companion animals while maintaining high standards of hygiene and infection control. You’ll learn how to recognise signs of illness, use personal protective equipment (PPE), and clean animal environments to prevent the spread of disease.

This course is designed for learners working or volunteering in shelters, kennels, catteries, grooming and walking services, and other facilities that care for companion animals. It’s ideal for those beginning a career in animal care and wanting to work confidently and safely around animals.

ACMGEN202 Complete animal care hygiene routines

This course teaches you how to carry out daily animal care and hygiene routines in a professional and responsible way. You'll learn to clean animal enclosures, groom animals, and keep work areas safe and hygienic — all while monitoring animal wellbeing.

Whether you're working in a pet store, boarding kennel, vet clinic, shelter, or zoo, this unit gives you the hands-on skills to support comfort, safety, and welfare for a range of species.

ACMGEN201 Work in the animal care industry

This course equips learners with the foundational skills and knowledge needed to work effectively in the animal care industry. It focuses on ethical and humane treatment of animals while promoting safe, responsible, and productive work practices.

Ideal for individuals beginning their careers in animal care, the course prepares students to carry out routine tasks under supervision and develop confidence in solving common workplace problems. Learners will explore roles and responsibilities within different animal care settings, including pet stores, shelters, veterinary clinics, boarding facilities, and wildlife centres.

ACMGEN204 Assist in the Health Care of Animals

This course provides the skills and knowledge needed to assist with animal health care in a range of professional settings. You’ll learn how to support the wellbeing of animals through basic treatments, monitoring, and hygiene practices.

It’s ideal for learners working under supervision in environments like veterinary clinics, shelters, wildlife rehab centres, pet shops, and breeding facilities.