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Imagine turning your love for animals into a rewarding and satisfying career. Animal care careers offer new challenges and a chance to work in a strong growth industry.

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Veterinary nursing is a rewarding and challenging career. It is a hands on occupation that brings you into contact with many animals and their owners. The Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing is a national qualification recognised in all states of Australia, the industry standard for people wishing to operate as a veterinary nurse within a veterinary practice.

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Zookeeping careers embrace all captive animal environments and touch on everything from tourism to vet nursing. Animal attendants are also an in-demand career.

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CAPE - Testimonial - Animal Care - Darek Figa

Darek Figa

Animal studies is no monkey business

“Sharing these experiences, and in-field knowledge, with students is something you can't get from a class room.”
Darek Figa - TAFE NSW Animal Studies teacher

Darek Figa is building strong relationships between TAFE NSW and organisations like the National Zoo and Aquarium. However, it is this teacher’s experience and enthusiasm that takes him and his students further afield – overseas and along the tropical rivers of Asia.

“Students become educated through doing, seeing and being - in the correct context of an industry that they want to access."

A director at Orangutan Foundation International Australia (OFIA), Darek regularly leads TAFE NSW study tours to Borneo.

“I'm very passionate about wildlife conservation and animal behaviour,” says Darek. “And I love sharing my knowledge and enthusiasm with students.”

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CAPE - Animal Care and Horse Industry - FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

When you study the Certificate III in Pet Grooming at TAFE NSW, you will develop the skills, knowledge, and confidence to gain employment in jobs such as an assistant grooming attendant, a stylist’s assistant, or a trainee groomer.

There are a great number of different animal care careers that you could pursue. From general pet grooming, vet nurse, and zookeper careers, working with a variety of animals, to helping to rescuing and rehabilitating native wildlife and working with horses in the racing industry, TAFE NSW has a qualification for the animal career you want.

Depending on what animal studies course you enrol in, you could learn about pet grooming, how to train animals, or how to diagnose and heal animals as a vet nurse, and even how to care for exotic animals as a zookeeper. If you have something specific in mind, get in touch with TAFE NSW to learn which course is right for you.

If you want to be a zookeeper, studying the Certificate III in Captive Animals at TAFE NSW is a great place to start. Our teachers are expert zookeepers and captive animal experts, and with TAFE NSW’s perfect mix of theory and hands-on experience, you’ll be on the path to becoming a zookeeper too.

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Enter your details to receive your free Animal Care and Management information pack, and a consultation with an enrolment advisor.

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What job opportunities could an animal care or horse industry course lead to?

An animal care and horse industry course can lead to a number of job opportunities; from grooming show dogs, and veterinary work, to zoo keeping, and maybe even taming lions. 

Qualifications in animal care and horse industry can lead to a job as:

  • an animal trainer
  • a zookeeper
  • a veterinary nurse
  • a wildlife carer 
  • a pet shop attendant

The average weekly salary for an animal trainer is $961.Whether you're just starting out in your animal care and horse industry career, you want to gain more qualifications, want to add to your previous experience, or simply want to broaden your horizons, TAFE NSW offers a wide variety of courses at a number of levels to suit you.

 TAFE NSW courses in this area include:

  • Veterinary Nursing
  • Aquaculture
  • Pet Grooming
  • Animal Studies
  • Captive Animals
  • Farriery 
  • Intensive Foal Nursing