Course overview
This apprenticeship offers an exciting route into a career as a zoo or animal keeper, combining hands-on experience with expert-led training.
Developed by industry experts, the programme is designed for those already working in licensed animal establishments. You must be employed by an organisation with a zoo licence such as a zoo, wildlife park, aquarium, private animal collection, animal reserve, or farm.
We work with a range of employers across the sector, including The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) London and Whipsnade Zoo, and Woburn Safari Park to ensure our training reflects current industry practice.
Apprentices will benefit from both workplace learning and college-based study. Training includes online classes, face-to-face sessions, assignments, portfolio development, and formal assessments, which are all supported by dedicated tutors and workplace mentors.
You will learn
- How to apply legislation and policies to ensure safe practices
- How to use animal welfare and behaviour to make adequate life quality assessments
- How to service, clean and manage animal enclosures to ensure healthy environments and health of the animals
- How to use diet sheets and how to interpret, prepare and deliver animal feeds
- How to best manage animals’ enclosures and enrich their environment in line with their natural history
- Strategies for managing animal collections, in line with the organisation’s conservation efforts
- How to take the first steps into zoo research and use the results to contribute to your organisation’s management improvements
- How to use record keeping for individual animals and enclosures management
- How to carry out supportive husbandry tasks such as training, vet support, and transportation
- How to carry out enclosure checks and other work area checks for potential or existing hazards
- How to ensure visitor safety and a positive experience
- The importance of stakeholder engagement
Apprenticeship Standard : Keeper and Aquarist
Functional Skills in English and maths (if required)
You must be in full-time employment in a job role relevant to your studies. Apprentices are expected to have some prior basic knowledge and experience of the sector.
If you are not yet employed, you can still apply to join the Capel Manor College Apprenticeship Talent Bank, and be the first to hear about new roles as they become available. We will also keep you up to date on our offer of full-time courses, which might be the right opportunity for you if you do not find an apprenticeship role before you are due to start your studies.
Successful completion of this apprenticeship will help you to progress into more senior animal keeping roles.
As an apprentice, you do not pay for your course. Your employer pays all or part of the fee. We collect the remainder through our government contract.
Funding for this apprenticeship programme is dependant on the size of your business and the apprentice(s) recruited. Large employers will fund the programme though their Apprenticeship Levy whilst smaller employers may need to contribute up to 5% per apprentice to the total cost of training.
For further information, support with recruitment through the Capel Manor College Apprenticeship Talent Bank, or to discuss apprenticeship training for your existing team, please contact our Business Development Team at https://www.capel.ac.uk/employers-hub/apprenticeships/hiring-an-apprentice/.
