Taking care of animals, wildlife and sea creatures in a collection at a zoo, sanctuary or private collection.
Overview
Approved for delivery on the 05/08/2019, the keeper and aquarist, Advanced apprenticeship standard provides a level 3, upon completion. This apprenticeship will typically take 24 months to complete, not including the End-Point Assessment Period.
What the course covers
This apprenticeship is a training programme for those interested in zookeeping, caring for animals, and managing animal habitats. With this apprenticeship, a zoo, wildlife park, private animal collection, animal reserve, or farm could be your employer. The daily jobs of a keeper and aquarists depend on the type of establishment but include interpreting diet sheets, preparing animal feed, servicing and cleaning animal environments, providing species-specific habitats and routine to fit with its natural history, observing and understanding animal behaviour and health.
As well as the general care for the animals, this apprenticeship will introduce you to relaying educational information to the public about the animals. You will be required to tailor your tone and information to the audience; for example, many zoos and wildlife centres have engagement programmes for children to learn more about animal welfare.
Apprentices will have to use their initiative and skills to complete their daily tasks; you will be responsible for the care and husbandry of the animals, tracking their health and progress and reporting any changes to their behaviour. For this role, you will need an excellent knowledge of animal behaviour and the needs of animal training.
Careers and jobs associated
- Zoo Keeper
- Animal Keeper
- Aquarist
If you would like to find out more about this apprenticeship standard, including possible duties of the role, skills and assessment method visit the Institute for Apprenticeships.
