Having extra hands is always a bonus so registering gives you the opportunity to have keen students ready to go in your facility. 

Depending on a student’s course they can undertake their work placement in a range of different animal care facilities or clinics that may be a:

1. animal shelter
2. doggy day care
3. boarding kennels
4. Public Animal Shelter
5. Pet Grooming Salon
6. Educational farm
7. Forest Ranger (National Parks)
8. Zoo
9. Veterinary clinic
10. Pet hospital

As you can see there are a variety of different animal care facilities- clinics that can provide a real world work environment. This is the best way for students to learn workplace skills and perform practical assessment tasks.  These facilities are an essential link between understanding and applying theory to practical real world situations.  Depending on which course a student is enrolled AACI needs to ensure it is adequately resourced to provide the learning outcomes mandated under the Training Package.

Under the new Animal Care Training Package, released in April 2021, there is strong emphasis on students completing practical assessment tasks in a real world animal care facility (Clinic). 

AACI encourages students to complete their work experience or work placements in a registered and approved Animal Care facility -Clinic.  This process ensures a facility – clinic delivers access to students the appropriate equipment, processes and supervisions for their course completion.

Every course requires a student to undertake/demonstrate practical assessment tasks. 

For Certificate 1 and II course students practical assessments can be performed in a wider range Animal Care facilities as set out below compared to the Certificate IV VET Nursing students. 

Each facility – clinic must complete the online Animal Care Facility Registration application form and then wait for approval from AACI.

For example. If  a Veterinary Clinic or Pet Hospital (Clinic) wishes to register and receive approval to host a Certificate IV Veterinary Nursing Student they would simply complete the online application and confirm the equipment and caseload they have available. 

This Registration process ensures a student undertakes work placements in an appropriate equipment and resourced facility based on the course they are enrolled in.  Our students require access to all the correct resources, equipment and caseload to satisfy course training requirements.

The registration process is free and simple involves completing the Registration Application Form.  This approval lasts for two years and be renewed quickly.

Our Facility Partners deliver Real World Experience

AACI believes it is vital that students gain real world experience.

It delivers exposure to a real team environment, industry processes and practices and most importantly critical thinking and analysis all of which result in better learning outcomes for students and their future employers.

AACI highly recommends on the job work placement experience at a real Animal Care facility. Practical experience is vital for any student as it provides first hand access to real business practices and industry networks. 

This placement can be undertaken either on an unpaid (volunteer) basis or paid employment basis.

Benefits of Facility-Clinic Registration & Approval?

By becoming a Registered Facility that is approved by AACI it shows your commitment to quality and leadership to training students and prestige of the overal animal care industry.

Registration and Approval provides each facility-clinic with a range of benefits and opportunities:

• access to additional human resources to assist existing staff to perform tasks,
• students bring different perspectives, experience and ideas into the work environment,
• enhance personal development,
• reduce recruitment costs (try students out)
• prior to employing someone you already know whether they work well in your team environment & operational practices.
• deal and manage scheduling and operational task and issues and
• improve your workflow.

Vocational placement rules place conditions and restrictions on students work tasks that can be performed. For example a Cert II enrolled student should not monitor anaesthetics. This is because this anaesthetics topic is not covered in the Certificate II course.

AACI provides all the essential information necessary for a successful work placement including volunteer insurance, Student Assist services and a detailed Mentor Handbook.

Facility Registration & Approval Process

AACI’s Facility Registration application form is simple and quick to complete and submit by email [email protected].

Completing our registration form simply requires you to click a response to questions set out in the form and your contact details. This process ensures each facility or clinic has all the right resources, equipment, supervision and caseload to ensure students are able to practice and perform the practical assessment skills required for a particular course.

Animal Care Facilities after registration must be approved by AACI prior to students commencing their work placement.  This registration and approval process ensures each facility-clinic has the necessary resources and equipment for the tasks the students must learn and that their team has the ability to provide quality training in accordance with AACI and the Animal Care Training Package Standards by having authorised Mentors on staff.

Mentor Registration & Approval

AACI also has a Mentor Registration application form.

This application process for a Mentor is quick and simple.  A Mentor needs to be approved by AACI and work at an approved facility  – clinic.

Mentors do not have 100s of pages of documents to sign off.  Rather a student’s supervisor, that is the Mentor, simply logs in and signs off electronically on ‘Key Skills’ records as to a student’s performance during assessments during their work placement.

AACI requires each student have at least one qualified Mentor at an approved clinic.