ACM10121 is the nationally recognised Certificate I in Animal Care Industry Pathways. It prepares you for work as an animal attendants and trainers nec. It has been the current version on the national register since 2021, when it replaced ACM10117. Employers posted about 100 animal attendants and trainers nec jobs in June 2026, down 1.3% on a year earlier.
The signals behind the Certificate I in Animal Care Industry Pathways are mixed, and both sides are worth weighing. Animal attendants and trainers necs are in national shortage and employment is projected to grow through 2035. Enrolments are falling. These are official statistics, not a promise about your result.
Job ads for animal attendants and trainers necs are holding steady. About 100 animal attendants and trainers nec jobs were advertised online in June 2026, down 1.3% on a year earlier. Over the last 12 months there were about 1,400 job ads, while 175 people were training in the qualification nationally (2025). Ads show the market. Enrolments show the pipeline. Neither is a job promise.
Australia's official shortage list rates horse trainers as in shortage. The 2025 Occupation Shortage List rates Horse Trainer as in national shortage; Dog Handler or Trainer, Pet Groomer, Zookeeper, Kennel Hand, Track Rider and Animal Attendants and Trainers nec as not in shortage.
Animal attendants and trainers nec jobs are projected to grow. Jobs and Skills Australia projections put these occupations at 26,019 workers in May 2025, 27,347 by May 2030 (up 5.1%) and 28,881 by May 2035 (up 11%).
Fewer people are enrolling in the Certificate I in Animal Care Industry Pathways than a year ago. Across Australia, 185 people enrolled in 2024. In 2025 it was 175, down 5.4% in a year. National data for ACM10121 starts in 2021.
The register and the national framework set some of this. Providers set the rest.
State funding for ACM10121 is being verified against official program lists.
Eligibility and student contributions vary by program and provider. The official state listing is the source of truth. In a subsidised place the government pays most of the tuition and you pay a co-contribution set by the program and provider.
The Certificate I in Animal Care Industry Pathways is 7 units: 5 core, plus 2 electives chosen from 5 options on the register.
No Get Course partner currently lists this qualification. Check the national register for organisations approved to deliver it, and remember that approval to deliver is a regulatory fact, not a recommendation. You can browse live courses from our partners and enquire today.
Browse coursesGet Course maps ACM10121 to its occupations using the register’s own outcome wording, shown with ANZSCO codes (here, 3611) so the mapping can be checked. Job advertisement counts come from the Jobs and Skills Australia Internet Vacancy Index and count online ads, not vacancies filled. Enrolment counts come from NCVER Total VET Activity and count people in training, not completions. Funding rows appear only after verification against the official state program list. Source vintages: Jobs and Skills Australia Internet Vacancy Index latest month June 2026; NCVER Total VET Activity 2025 collection; Occupation Shortage List 2025 assessment; employment projections May 2025 to May 2035 release; register training.gov.au, synced 13 September 2026; register synced 18 Sept 2026. Page last updated 19 Sept 2026.