Kennel worker to animal shelter worker
A kennel worker already meets 69% of what the animal shelter worker role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
39.2/ 100
1 How much of what an animal shelter worker is expected to do is already part of a kennel worker’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the animal shelter worker role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An animal shelter worker role treats 14 of its required skills as things a kennel worker already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise customers on appropriate pet care
- anatomy of animals
- animal behaviour
- animal welfare legislation
- assess animal behaviour
- assess animal's condition
What stands in the way is 5 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 25 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An animal shelter worker role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a kennel worker background worth leading with.
- already held instruct on animal care communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held animal training agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary
- already held groom animals handling and moving
- already held provide dog walking services handling and moving
- already held maintain welfare of animals during transportation handling and moving
- already held provide an enriching environment for animals handling and moving
All 25 carried skills, including the 14 the animal shelter worker role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 14 missing skills fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn train dogs required
- still to learn dispose of dead animals required
- still to learn provide nutrition to animals required
- optional, not held provide first aid to animals optional
- optional, not held unload supplies optional
- still to learn manage animal adoption required
- still to learn interview people required
- optional, not held promote animals optional
- optional, not held advise on animal purchase optional
- optional, not held order supplies optional
- optional, not held assist customers optional
- optional, not held wear appropriate protective gear optional
- optional, not held administer appointments optional
- optional, not held assess character optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an animal shelter worker role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 manage animal adoption practise this
- 02 train dogs practise this
- 03 dispose of dead animals practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 25 skills that carry over
- already held advise customers on appropriate pet care skill
- already held anatomy of animals knowledge
- already held animal behaviour knowledge
- already held animal welfare legislation knowledge
- already held assess animal behaviour skill
- already held assess animal's condition skill
- already held assist in transportation of animals skill
- already held control animal movement skill
- already held create animal records skill
- already held instruct on animal care skill
- already held maintain animal accommodation hygienic skill
- already held monitor the welfare of animals skill
- already held physiology of animals knowledge
- already held work with veterinarians skill
- already held advise on animal welfare skill
- already held animal training knowledge
- already held communicate with customers skill
- already held groom animals skill
- already held handle veterinary emergencies skill
- already held implement exercise activities for animals skill
- already held maintain equipment skill
- already held maintain welfare of animals during transportation skill
- already held provide an enriching environment for animals skill
- already held provide dog walking services skill
- already held work in shifts skill
9 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held promote animals optional
- optional, not held advise on animal purchase optional
- optional, not held assist customers optional
- optional, not held provide first aid to animals optional
- optional, not held administer appointments optional
- optional, not held assess character optional
- optional, not held order supplies optional
- optional, not held unload supplies optional
- optional, not held wear appropriate protective gear optional
10 held skills the animal shelter worker role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role animal nutrition knowledge
- not needed by the target role bathe dogs skill
- not needed by the target role feed pets skill
- not needed by the target role follow verbal instructions skill
- not needed by the target role follow written instructions skill
- not needed by the target role maintain customer service skill
- not needed by the target role maintain professional administration skill
- not needed by the target role protect health and safety when handling animals skill
- not needed by the target role stay alert skill
- not needed by the target role train employees skill
Common questions about this move
Can a kennel worker become an animal shelter worker?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A kennel worker already covers 69% of what an animal shelter worker is expected to do: 25 skills carry over, 14 of which the animal shelter worker role treats as required.
What skills does a kennel worker need to become an animal shelter worker?
5 required skills are missing, plus 9 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by handling and moving. The single most important is manage animal adoption.
How hard is the move from kennel worker to animal shelter worker?
Its learning distance is 39.2 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.