The animal care industry comprises many different types of business, the majority being small and micro enterprises. The range of businesses include:
- Pet shops
- Boarding kennels and catteries
- Pet breeders
- Dog training and grooming
- Animal welfare charities
- Zoos and wildlife parks
- Performing animals in film and television
- Public services.
On the horizon
The industry is expected to achieve employment growth, driven by increased awareness of animal health and welfare issues. Changes in consumer lifestyles has also impacted on pet ownership and how pets are looked after. Small animals including hamsters, ornamental fish and more exotic and unusual species are becoming more popular.
The number of large integrated pet superstores, such as Pets at Home, has increased. The scale of these operations makes access for customers much easier, but takes business away from small independent pet shops.
Services such as pet sitters and dog walkers are also increasing in popularity, particularly in towns and cities. Currently this group is unquantifiable, unregulated and may not have adequate knowledge or skills to be able to do the job.
Current and future skill needs in the industry include:
Basic animal first aid
Transporting animals
Knowledge of how animals will perform on film sets
Sale and knowledge of animal related products
Releasing animals into the wild
Preparing and grooming animals
Marketing or sales
Literacy and numeric skills
ICT.
Wider availability of on-site practical skills training would be welcomed in the industry as this would avoid releasing employees for off-site training for long periods of time.
Digging deeper
Our research helps us to ensure education and training is relevant to your sector. We study the skills and labour requirements of the animal care industry, and ensure these needs are met through your training.
For more detailed information, read the Animal Care Sector Skills Agreement report and annex here.
