ACM30321 is the nationally recognised Certificate III in Wildlife and Exhibited Animal Care. It prepares you for work as a zookeeper. It has been the current version on the national register since 2021, when it replaced ACM30317. Employers posted about 100 zookeeper jobs in June 2026, down 1.3% on a year earlier.
The independent signals behind this qualification are positive. Specifically: its main occupation is rated in national shortage and employment in its occupations is projected to grow through 2035. These are official statistics, not a promise about any individual's result.
Employer demand for these roles is holding steady. Across Zookeeper, about 100 jobs were advertised online in June 2026 (down 1.3% on a year earlier). Roughly 1,413 openings were advertised over the last 12 months, while 910 people enrolled in the qualification nationally in 2024. Enrolment counts people in training, not completions, so the two figures describe the pipeline and the market, not a job guarantee.
At least one occupation this qualification leads to is officially rated as in national shortage. In the 2025 Occupation Shortage List assessment, Horse Trainer is rated in national shortage; Dog Handler or Trainer, Pet Groomer, Zookeeper, Kennel Hand, Track Rider and Animal Attendants and Trainers nec are rated not in shortage.
Employment in these occupations is projected to grow. Government projections put them at 26,000 workers in May 2025, 27,300 by May 2030 (up 5.1%) and 28,900 by May 2035 (up 11%).
Outcomes for this qualification run below what is typical for a Certificate III. In the latest national outcomes survey (2025), 89.2% were employed or in further study after training, against a Certificate III median of 88% across 105 qualifications. 84.5% were satisfied with the training, against 90.6% typical.
Enrolments in this qualification are steady. National enrolments moved from 940 in 2023, to 910 in 2024 (down 3.2%).
The register and the national framework set some of this. Providers set the rest.
State funding for ACM30321 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.
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 ACM30321 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 qualifications at the same level 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: NCVER Total VET Activity 2024 collection; register training.gov.au, synced 19 August 2026; employment projections May 2025 to May 2035 release; NCVER Student Outcomes survey 2025 survey; Jobs and Skills Australia Internet Vacancy Index latest month June 2026; Occupation Shortage List 2025 assessment; register synced 29 Aug 2026. Page last updated 30 Aug 2026.