Animal Management

Level 3

08 Sep 2025

18 - 24 Months

PUXTON PARK

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Animal Management, BTEC Extended Diploma

The Animal Care BTEC Extended Diploma is an ideal choice for animal lovers who aspire to develop their animal care skills and work in the industry. While physically demanding, this course offers immense satisfaction as you will see the positive impact you can have on animals' lives.

The course provides a balanced blend of theory and practical work, with approximately 30% dedicated to practical training and 70% to theoretical learning. Our experienced tutors are industry specialists, and they are dedicated to teaching you the necessary theory to complement your practical knowledge. Our qualifications have been developed in collaboration with local and national employers and are successful in getting our students into animal management-related jobs and onto relevant degrees.

Through our unique partnership with Puxton Park, awarded the National Farm Attraction of the Year, you will gain practical skills by participating in the care of a diverse range of animals. Your classroom lectures will come to life as you carry out practical sessions at the park, enabling you to develop industry-specific skills. This hands-on experience will involve working alongside experienced staff and engaging with farm visitors, so you will also develop essential employability skills like communication, customer service and decision-making.

By studying with us, you will become part of our Animal Management Career Excellence Hub. This provides unrivalled access to potential employers. Through guest lectures, trips, work experience, and recruitment events, you will gain valuable industry insights and networking opportunities. You’ll also get to go on trips to different locations, including residential trips and trips to Crufts Dog Show at the National Exhibition Centre, Twycross Zoo and Yorkshire Wildlife Park.

WHAT DOES THIS COURSE INVOLVE

Year 1 subjects

Animal welfare and ethics
Animal biology
Practical animal husbandry
Animal Behaviour
Animal Health and Disease
Work Experience in the animal industry
Business management in the animal sector
Year 2 subjects
Breeding and Genetics
Farm Livestock
Human and animal interaction
Zoo’s
Investigative Project
Wildlife, Ecology and conservation
Developing an enterprise in the animal sector/ animal nursing

As part of this study programme, you will develop your employability, maths and English skills, attend tutorials and Individual Development (ID).

You will also complete a work placement and extended industry placement, allowing you to develop hands-on skills that can be applied to your career in the industry. All aspects of your study programme will be discussed at your interview. ASSESSMENT METHOD

This programme is assessed by a combination of external exams, written tests, projects, assignment work and demonstration of competence in a range of practical tasks. This is a two-year programme.

FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES

You will be equipped to enter a career in a variety of roles such as veterinary nurse, zookeeper or animal scientist. You can increase your skills with an animal-related degree such as University Centre Weston’s degree in Animal Management.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Five GCSEs at grades 9-4 including English, Maths and Science or a Level 2 programme at merit grade or above with at least a grade 4 or above in English.

WHAT DO I DO NEXT?

Ready to apply – please use the ‘apply now’ button at the top of this page.

I’d like to visit and see the facilities and chat to staff – see when our next open event is here: EVENTS | Weston College

I have a quick question – use our Live Chat facility on the bottom right of this page.

Category & Subject Area

Animal Management Courses for 16 to 18-year-olds Courses for 16 to 18-year-olds

iAn interview is required for this course.

Fees Information

Level 2 Qualifications

This course may be Free* if you live in the South West of England and:

You are defined by the Adult Education Board (AEB) as being unemployed because one of the following applies:
- receive Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), including those receiving National Insurance credits only
- receive Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- receive Universal Credit and your take home pay, as recorded on your Universal Credit statement (disregarding Universal Credit payment and other benefits) is less than £345 a month (learner is sole adult in the benefit claim) or £552 a month (learner has a joint benefit claim with their partner)
- are released on temporary licence, studying outside a prison environment, and not funded by the Ministry of Justice
You are employed, or self-employed, and earn less than £18,525.00 annual gross salary.

Level 3 Qualifications

This course is Free* if:

The qualification you have chosen to study is part of the Legal Entitlements list and you are aged 19-23 at the start of your course and you do not already have a qualification at Level 3 or higher. From April 2021, any adult aged 24 and over who wants to achieve their first full level 3 qualification will be able to access certain courses we run for free.

The full fee is payable if:

this is not your first full level 3

the qualification you wish to study isn’t on the approved list of level 3 qualifications the College can run for free.

However, you may qualify for an Advanced Learner Loan.

Apprenticeships - Information for Employers

The cost of apprenticeships will be split into 30 funding bands ranging from £1,500 to £27,000. The prices will depend on the type of apprenticeship and the level it is taught at, and are negotiable with your training provider.

For 98% of employers, the reforms mean that employing an apprentice will be better value for money than ever before. Small businesses will only have to pay 5% of the training costs, with the Government picking up the remaining 95%. In some cases, the Government will fully fund apprenticeships for small businesses.

Click here for more information about how the reforms and levy will affect your company.

Advanced Learner Loans

You may be eligible to apply for an Advanced Learner Loan from Student Finance England, to fund the cost of your course. For further information and to check eligibility, please follow the links below:

Other Important information

While every care has been made to ensure the accuracy of our prospectuses and website, errors may occur from time to time resulting in incorrect information / fees being shown / printed.

Fees quoted online and in our prospectuses are for the current academic year only, and are subject to change – two and three-year courses will have fees to pay again in subsequent years.
You may still need to buy a uniform/kit which is your professional start-up kits or pay professional/personal memberships and all students will need to provide a National Insurance number and up-to-date proof of benefits, if applicable, at the time of enrolment.
Please click here for our current term dates.

If you are 16-18 years old on the 31st August in the current academic year, this course is usually Free.
Students who are EU/EEA or Swiss Citizens who have lived in the UK before 1 January 2021 who do not have indefinite leave to enter or remain in the UK or haven’t applied for the EU Settlement Scheme and been granted pre-settled or settled status – please contact the College Registrar on 01934 411 531 for advice on appropriate UKVI student visa fees before you enrol.

Refunds

Full refunds will be payable if we need to cancel a course.
Tuition fee refunds are payable if you change your mind within 14 days of enrolling on your course and before the start of the course (10% of tuition fee or £25 administration fee whichever is larger will be charged).

If you change your mind about a course before it starts or during the first three weeks, we will happily transfer you to an alternative course - you may need to pay any difference in fees or have a credit note issued to you if the course is cheaper.
If you wish to withdraw from a course you can request a credit note for the remaining proportion of the tuition fees to a maximum of 50% of tuition fees paid (a £25 administration fee will be charged). Credit notes are valid for one calendar year.
There are different terms and conditions for Higher Education courses - please call 01934 411 409 for further details.

Discretionary Learner Support Fund

This is a College-administered fund which can support some costs associated with attending qualification courses. It is mean-tested against gross household income and limited in its amount per learner. For further information please contact Student Services on 01934 411 571.