Animal Care & Management (Animal Science) T-Level

Course Overview

The course delivery is based around our Animal Rescue Centre (ARC), which has on-site veterinary facilities, and will give you the opportunity to gain necessary knowledge and practical skills required to work with a variety of animal species. The ARC provides care for a selection of resident exotic animals and small mammals, but also provides assessment and care for a wide range of presenting native wildlife casualties e.g. hedgehogs, seals, otters, birds of prey and garden bird species, co-ordinating the rehabilitation and intended release of these animals as appropriate.

Your participation and studies will not only benefit you, but the animals within the centre and beyond. Established links with the RSPCA, conservation organisations and local veterinary practices provide a very real experience and a network for you to explore future career opportunities.

Work placement experience is a mandatory requirement in completing this qualification, and we have links with a range of animal care sector employers with whom we are often able to arrange placements. Work placement experience can take place in a wide range of environments e.g. veterinary surgery, boarding and day care provision, dog groomer, zoo, pet shop, stables, and farms. You will be required to complete a minimum of 315 hours of work placement over the two years of the course.

You will have the opportunity to take part in a variety of trips to zoos and other animal care settings. There are also opportunities to take part in activities such as wildlife population surveying, conservation campaigns and fundraising events. We encourage the participation of visiting speakers, who can also provide valuable information to the learners regarding potential careers e.g. police dog handlers, conservation work.

This course typically takes place over 3 - 4 days per week for two years.

All Animal Management learners will complete the Common Core component, which introduces the agriculture, environment, and animal care industry area. This includes working within the sector, professional behaviours, health and safety in the workplace, business management and project management.

The Animal Management Core pathway content is designed to provide you with a broad knowledge and understanding of the animal sector, whilst also allowing you to develop the core skills when working within the industry. This includes health and safety principles, sustainability, biosecurity, supply chain, anatomy and physiology, biological cells and tissues, nutrition, animal behaviour.

The Occupational Specialism content equips you with the knowledge, skills, and behaviours necessary for you to progress into occupations within the animal industry or onto higher education. For Animal Management and Science this includes research methods and data handling, reproductive technology, genetics, ethics, classification, evolution and natural selection, conservation, captive breeding and population management, animal welfare, health and diseases, handling and restraint, accommodation, laboratory skills, biochemistry, microbiology.

All of our learners will be given support with their English and Maths skills where relevant to their main course.

Assessment is achieved through external set and marked exams, an employer set project, occupational specialism projects, and synoptic assignments covering practical skills and applied knowledge. There is an additional externally set and marked knowledge test for the Animal Management and Science pathway.