ACM20121 is the nationally recognised Certificate II behind animal attendants and trainers nec work. It has been the current version on the national register since 2021, when it replaced ACM20117. About 100 animal attendants and trainers nec jobs were advertised in June 2026, down 1.3% on a year earlier.
The independent signals behind the Certificate II in Animal Care line up. Animal attendants and trainers necs are in national shortage and employment is projected to grow through 2035. 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 12,300 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%).
Results for Certificate II in Animal Care graduates are mixed against other Certificate IIs. In the 2025 NCVER Student Outcomes survey, 80.2% were employed or in further study after training. The typical Certificate II result is 77.6%, across 63 qualifications. Median income after training was $33,000, against $41,400 typical. 91.8% were satisfied with the training, against 91.4% typical. Income here is the survey median about six months after training. It includes part-time work, so it is not the full-time award rate.
Enrolments in the Certificate II in Animal Care are steady. Across Australia, 12,070 people enrolled in 2024. In 2025 it was 12,300, up 1.9% in a year. National data for ACM20121 starts in 2021.
The register and the national framework set some of this. Providers set the rest.
State funding for ACM20121 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 II in Animal Care is 12 units: 7 core, plus 5 electives chosen from 23 options on the register.
Providers listed on Get Course offering this qualification or its pathway. Enquire and the provider confirms details directly.
Get Course maps ACM20121 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. Outcome benchmarks marked “typical” are medians computed by Get Course across all Certificate IIs in the same NCVER collection; they are derived figures, not official NCVER benchmarks. Funding rows appear only after verification against the official state program list. Source vintages: register training.gov.au, synced 13 September 2026; Occupation Shortage List 2025 assessment; NCVER Student Outcomes survey 2025 survey; Jobs and Skills Australia Internet Vacancy Index latest month June 2026; NCVER Total VET Activity 2025 collection; employment projections May 2025 to May 2035 release; register synced 18 Sept 2026. Page last updated 19 Sept 2026.