Animal Care - Animal Care Assistant
This course is designed to equip students with the knowledge and the skills to work in a variety of areas within the Animal Healthcare sector or to progress to Higher Education through the Higher Education Links Scheme.
| Award Name | Level 5 Certificate (Level 5 NFQ) |
|---|---|
| NFQ Classification | Major |
| Awarding Body | QQI |
| NFQ Level | Level 5 NFQ |
| Award Name | NFQ Classification | Awarding Body | NFQ Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 5 Certificate (Level 5 NFQ) | Major | QQI | Level 5 NFQ |
Duration
This is a Full-time One Year course which runs from September to May. Exact details of the timetable will be given out to students during the induction process prior to class commencement in September.
Entry Requirements
One of the following:
- Leaving Certificate (LC Established, LCVP, LCA) or equivalent
- A Full Level 4 QQI Award (or equivalent)
- For Mature Applicants (aged 21 or over) - appropriate experience will be considered in lieu of formal qualifications. Note: Mature applicants may be entitled to VTOS funding. For details about VTOS, please contact the college.
- As there is an emphasis on the science subjects, Biology, Animal Anatomy and Physiology, a background in science would be desirable, but not essential
- Applicants whose first language is not English require level B1 competency on the CEFR language framework. Applicants may be required to undergo English language testing to establish their language competency.
Careers / Further progression
Progression Opportunities
DFEi: Graduates who have completed and achieved the full Level 5 Animal Care Award may progress to the Level 6 QQI Advanced Certificate in Animal Healthcare at DFEi.
Elsewhere: Graduates are eligible to apply through the CAO and/or the Higher Education Links Scheme for entry to year one of a range of higher certificate and degree programmes, at Universities, Institutes of Technology and Technological Universities using their full QQI Level 5 major award. Places are not guaranteed in these Institutes and are subject to students meeting certain criteria. It is the students' responsibility to consult with the relevant HEI for information on the admissions process and any specific entry requirements. Students may also refer to the individual HEI prospectus or may also refer to the QQI FET section of the CAO website. www.cao.ie
There are progression options in a wide range of areas including general science, veterinary nursing, agricultural science, marine biology and many other related areas.
Whilst many of the Our 2021 graduates of this course have progressed onto the Level 6 Award in Animal Science at DFEi, many other graduates of this course have progressed onto UCD, TUS Athlone, and Dundalk IT. For example, four of our graduates got into Veterinary Science and three got into Agricultural Science in UCD. Others have progressed directly into employment in Animal Healthcare related areas.
Examples of CAO progression opportunities are listed on our website.
Career Paths
Graduates may seek employment in: large and small veterinary clinics as animal care assistants, dog grooming parlours, pet shops and other animal retail, catteries/dog kennels, doggie day-care facilities, animal welfare organisations (for example Dogs Trust), agricultural, science industries, farms (including petting farms), zoos (for example Dublin Zoo), wildlife parks, safari parks (for example Tayto Park), self-employment (both in Ireland and abroad), and further/third level education.
Further information
This course is now full for September 2024. You can apply online for the waitlist.
Admissions Information:
Admissions for the academic year 2024/2025 are now open. Applications are only accepted online.
Five Step Admissions Process 2024/2025.
Step 1 - Apply online. No application fee charged.
Step 2 - Offer: You will be notified by DFEi with an offer of a course place. Please check your junk mail.
Step 3 - Acceptance: To secure your place, you must submit additional data required through your individual online account and pay your €40 non-refundable acceptance fee (only payable online). Failure to complete this process will result in you not securing your place on the course.
Step 4 - Registration: This is done through your online account. This involves paying all of your course fees in full and uploading all of the relevant documentation below on or before Monday 26th August 2024.
Step 5 - Induction and Commencement: Induction is provided before course commencement. You will be notified in due course of the relevant dates.
Overview
This course is designed to equip students with the knowledge and the skills to work in a variety of areas within the Animal Healthcare sector or to progress to Higher Education through the Higher Education Links Scheme. Students will study core areas of Animal Healthcare and are enabled to put theory into practice through experiential learning in a fully equipped Animal Healthcare Suite. This course is delivered by specialists who are currently practising within the profession. Regular field trips and the handling of a wide variety of animals are key features of this course.
Course Modules:
Animal Anatomy and Physiology
Animal Grooming
Animal Welfare
Animal Behaviour
Small Animal Husbandry and Housing
Veterinary Assisting Skills
Biology
Word Processing
Work Experience
Communications
Mathematics (Optional) for those students requiring Mathematics for progression through the CAO.
Work Experience
Students will be required to undertake a period work placement in an organisation connected to their vocational area during the academic year. Work Experience is mandatory for all of our full-time Level 5 courses. Students are required to source their own work placement but will be assisted in this by the work experience teacher. The work placement is usually for a period of 10 days or a minimum of 60 hours. Students usually find the work experience element of the course to be invaluable and should bear in mind that a successful work placement can sometimes lead to further opportunities.
Assessment techniques will be used to assess the knowledge and skills that students will have achieved on successful completion of modules:
- Student Record
- Portfolio/Collection of Work
- Assignments
- Examinations - Written or Practical
- Project
All assignments are submitted electronically. Therefore all students need access to a device such as a computer/laptop.
A full major award is granted on passing the relevant eight components. On successful completion of each component, you will be awarded a pass, a merit or a distinction grade. See www.qqi.ie for more details.
5M2768 - Animal Care.
Certification:
• Level 5 QQI Award Animal Care (5M2768)
• AniEd Canine First Responder Certificate
Dún Laoghaire Further Education Institute,
17 Cumberland Street, Dún Laoghaire,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.
Tel: +353 1 2809676
Fax: +353 1 2843767
Email: info@dfei.ie