Students will gain knowledge and skills to allow them to work in a variety of animal care facilities. You will have the opportunity to:

• Understand and describe animal anatomy and physiology
• Practice and promote animal welfare standards
• Show fundamental biology knowledge
• Execute basic animal grooming techniques
• Analyse and interpret animal behaviour
• Use word processing software effectively
• Provide excellent customer service in animal care settings
• Communicate effectively with clients and colleagues
• Apply knowledge and skills in a real-world work experience setting

The Animal Care course with Grooming is tailored to give a real taste of how it feels to work as a groomer in the industry. While learning all the tricks of the grooming trade this full time one year animal care course not only covers grooming but also lets you sample all aspects within the animal care industry.

This programme prepares students to work in a range of settings that provide direct care to animals or progress to further and higher education. This course includes a veterinary assisting skills module to provide a well-rounded education in the growing field of Animal care with veterinary skills. Veterinary skills encompasses a wide range of abilities and knowledge for learners to work in the field of veterinary medicine. Learners will gain a diverse set of skills to effectively care for a wide range of animals and ensure their wellbeing.

This one year Animal Care: Introduction to Dog Grooming course will facilitate those who wish to pursue a career in the Dog Grooming/Animal Husbandry Industry. The emphasis of this course will be on developing the skills and practices required to work in a modern dog grooming studio. This course will also enable participants to acquire the skills, knowledge and competence to provide for the needs of animals in a range of animal care settings, or to progress to further or higher education or training. This is a full-time one-year course and runs from September to May.

Animal Health Care encompasses the practices, knowledge and responsibilities in promoting the wellbeing and health of animals. This programme prepares learners to work in a range of settings or progress to further and higher education. The course includes modules to provide a well-rounded education in the growing field of animal care. This course is specifically designed for learners who want the benefit of animal welfare, animal behaviour, veterinary skills and animal grooming to progress into a variety of careers in the animal care profession.

This course in Animal Science covers all of the aspects of animal science and aims to advance the student's academic and professional career prospects in animal care while also studying units in business and management. Students may use this course in Animal Science as a progression to a degree in related animal management, animal science and care areas. Industry placement is an im­portant part of this course, with placement being completed over the duration of the course. By the end of this course, students will have learned how to maintain a high level of hus­bandry when rearing animals and have a knowledge of a wide range of animals.

Animal Science is an advanced course, building on the occupational skills achieved at Level 5. It is a perfect stepup course to lead you to supervisory careers, or onto Higher Education studies.

The course includes practical and theoretical study of the science of animal health and animal behaviour for domestic, farm and wild animals. You will also enhance your animal handling skills through ‘hands-on’ practical assignments, and explore the wider animal industry.

The aim of this programme is to provide the learner with the opportunity to acquire the knowledge, skills and competence to work independently and/or in a management or supervisory role within animal related industries.

This course would suit applicants with a passion for working with animals, a willingness to work hard and an interest in biology. You will have a mixture of classroom-based subjects, laboratory practicals, mandatory work placement (including a work shop in Dublin Zoo) and independent study.

Applicants with a passion for working with animals, a willingness to work hard and a commitment to study. You will be responsible for securing an appropriate off-site work placement before the beginning of the course. This Level 6 course is directed more at employment/setting up your own business.