Animal Care Assistant Apprentice
Westmead Kennels
DERBY (DE65 6NR)
Closes on Wednesday 16 September 2026
Posted on 8 July 2026
Contents
Summary
Westmead Kennels and Cattery are looking for a motivated apprentice to join their team and gain hands-on experience in a busy animal care environment. This is a great opportunity to start a career in animal care, with the potential to progress onto a Level 3 apprenticeship upon successful completion.
- Wage
-
£14,976 for your first year, then could increase depending on your age
National Minimum Wage rate for apprentices
- Training course
- Animal care and welfare assistant (level 2)
- Hours
-
The successful candidate will be working 36 hours per week, spread over up to four days, between the hours of 08:00 to 17:00/18:00. Days and shifts TBC
36 hours a week
- Start date
-
Monday 5 October 2026
- Duration
-
1 year
- Positions available
-
1
Work
Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.
What you'll do at work
- Walking and exercising dogs
- Feeding and caring for dogs and cats
- Cleaning kennels, catteries, and animal accommodation
- Maintaining high standards of hygiene and animal welfare
Bathing and grooming assistance - General and site maintenance, including weeding and tidying outdoor areas
- Cleaning up after animals
- Monitoring the wellbeing of animals and reporting concerns to senior staff
- Providing excellent care and attention to all animals on site
Where you'll work
WILLINGTON ROAD
ETWALL
DERBY
DE65 6NR
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
HADDON TRAINING LIMITED
Training course
Animal care and welfare assistant (level 2)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- comply with UK and EU Animal related legislation
- work effectively in a safe and healthy working environment following current / relevant health and safety legislation and work place policies
- identify and report potential hazards and breaches of security within animal accommodation/enclosures
- clean and maintain animal accommodation/enclosures/environment and equipment and provide appropriate resources including species specific enrichment (e.g. hiding, perches and areas to dig)
- maintain hygiene, bio security procedures and infection controls when working with animals including quarantine and isolation
- dispose of waste in a safe and appropriate manner in line with legislative and workplace requirements
- store, use and administer medication in line with legislative and veterinary instructions as appropriate
- monitor, record and report the health and welfare of animals in line with animal welfare legislation and workplace policies
- observe and be aware of the behaviour of animals and take appropriate actions
- approach/handle/restrain/move/recapture animals as part of routine husbandry appropriate for the species and individual
- exercise/socialise animals and provide appropriate enrichment relevant to their specific needs
- provide appropriate care, for example coat, skin, scales, plumage and feet to ensure good health and appearance
- provide food and water to animals and monitor the intake
- store and care for foodstuffs
- identify and describe animals using appropriate methods to the species involved (e.g. scanning for microchips)
- maintain, update and reference correct records in accordance with current legislation
- deliver customer experience (internal and external), where applicable, in line with workplace policies and procedures
- respond to animal first aid, urgent, ongoing and preventive care requirements as appropriate
- Beyond routine animal husbandry as listed in the core i.e. for animals with specific needs, unknown or unpredictable behaviour: i.e. animals recovering from routine operations such as neutering, or who may be obese, pregnant or fearful. Behaviour such as barking or pulling on the lead or who react unpredictably when meeting other animals.
- follow a prepared interaction/handling plan to prepare the animal and resources required i.e. muzzle, collar leads, harnesses, head collars, crush cage, grasper, snake hook, hoods
- undertake interaction/handling activities and use methods such as desensitisation and socialisation in accordance with the interaction/handling plan
- handle the animal throughout the interaction/handling to promote the animal’s health, normal behaviour and physical and emotional welfare
- monitor, report and record the response and welfare of the animal throughout interaction/handling activities
- apply techniques which take into account the animal’s welfare and emotional wellbeing, such as positive reinforcement to interact/handle the animal
- contribute to the assessment of an animal’s readiness for rehoming
- provide advice to customers/clients on the suitability of animals according to their circumstances and experience in line with the workplace policies and procedures
- support customers/clients during the rehoming/intake process and provide direction to further sources of information and guidance following rehoming of an animal
- contribute to the assessment of the animal during the intake process
- contribute to the matching process
- prepare means of transport appropriate for animals, ensuring serviceability and cleanliness
- prepare animals for movement and/or transportation taking into consideration their welfare potentially dealing with sick or injured animals
- use of appropriate equipment and methods to move and transport animals ensuring their safety and security
- monitor the physical and emotional health and welfare of animals during and after movement and transportation
- identify route and contingency plans
- identify if an animal required veterinary care and take appropriate action
- present a safe, friendly and welcoming reception for internal and external customers/clients/animals as appropriate
- provide information, advice, support and guidance on a range of topics such as animal care and welfare to customers/clients and seek advice when necessary
- use appropriate methods of technology for internal and external communication such as telephone, walkie talkies, email and scanning documents
- prepare, receive and store deliveries of goods including animal related products such as food stuffs and sundry items
- prepare and display stock for sale, including stock rotation
- take payment for goods, services and charitable donations
- process customer and animal registrations and bookings
- keep records for individual animals and people in line with the organisation’s procedures
- prepare animals and environment for mating
- monitor animals during parturition, recognising signs of difficulty
- carry out general care of animals through gestation
- prepare and manage pregnant animals pre and post parturition
- provide appropriate care and monitoring of neonates
- carry out procedures for caring for the young (once weaned) and introducing them to new environments
- socialise young animals appropriately
- fit and maintain appropriate equipment, ensuring the dog can operate safely
- conduct refresher/maintenance training with the support of a helper and dog trainer at an appropriate frequency to maintain the minimum standard of operational performance.
- interpret the dog’s behaviour and indications and react accordingly to the operational situation
- ensure that the dog team (handler and dog) maintains the minimum standard of operational performance as determined by national standards or the employers’ policies and procedures
- operate the dog team within the legal and ethical framework associated with their employment
- transport working dogs
- respond to collection requests
- identify wild animals that are suitable for rehabilitation and release
- plan and undertake rehabilitation for release into the wild
- capture and handle healthy and casualty wild animals
- move and transport wild animals appropriately
- release and monitor wild animals as appropriate
- carry out the hand rearing of wildlife species
- identify a range of different species (wildlife) or breeds (domestic) in order to understand the behavioural and ecological needs of the animal as well as be aware of the potential risks it may pose
- support, as directed, a veterinary surgeon / veterinary nurse in a clinical environment with: dealing with potential and actual emergency situations pre and post-operative care patient monitoring for example anaesthetic monitoring in-patient care diagnostic care/tests/X-rays – positioning and exposing the dispensing and administration of medication end of life care for pets and providing support for the owner
Training schedule
- All training will be provided on site during your paid working hours. Your day-to-day mentoring will be with your employer, and a combination of online and in person monthly sessions will be held with your Haddon Training Trainer Coach
- Including Functional Skills, if required
Requirements
Desirable qualifications
GCSE in:
- English (grade 4 and Above)
- Maths (grade 4 and Above)
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- IT skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Customer care skills
- Problem solving skills
- Presentation skills
- Administrative skills
- Number skills
- Analytical skills
- Logical
- Team working
- Creative
- Initiative
- Patience
- Physical fitness
Other requirements
- Willing to work outdoors in all weather conditions
About this employer
Westmead Kennels and Cattery is a well-established family-run business dedicated to providing high-quality care for dogs and cats in a safe, secure, and welcoming environment. With facilities that can accommodate up to 65 dogs and 21 cats, the team is passionate about ensuring every animal receives the highest standards of welfare, attention, and care during their stay.
After this apprenticeship
Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay (opens in new tab).
- Progression to the Level 3 Animal Care or other apprenticeship, and or possibility of full time employment
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
HADDON TRAINING LIMITED
Emma Openshaw
emma.openshaw@haddontraining.co.uk
01443749000
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000038821.
Apply now
Closes on Wednesday 16 September 2026