Central Animal Husbandry

Animal Caretaker for Research and Clinics

Duration of training

3 years

With very good performance in both the theoretical and practical areas, a reduction to at least 2 years is possible.

Training content

When animals are kept and bred under human care, they are exclusively dependent on animal care staff to satisfy their needs for food and activity. During training, the well-being and protection of the animals to be cared for is paramount, which is why the animal caregivers must have extensive specialist knowledge of the biology and behavior of their charges.

Animal caretakers for research and clinics care for, breed and keep laboratory animals in research and testing facilities. They are involved in animal experiments and other experiments and take into account the systematics, anatomy, physiology and behavior of the animals. Recognizing and preventing diseases is part of the job as well as setting up, cleaning and disinfecting animal accommodation. They work with computer-aided animal management programs and communicate with scientists as well as internal and external customers.

The dual training to become an animal caretakers for research and clinics is divided into a school-based part, which is carried out as block teaching at the Peter-Lenné-Schule, vocational school, Berlin (see below), and a practical part. During the practical part of the training, you will work in various departments of the Central Animal Husbandry in Leipzig. The practical training is supplemented by internships in research laboratories and animal husbandry facilities, including at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Experienced animal care staff will be on hand to help you. You can expect an optimally equipped workplace with modern technology and a contemporary organizational structure at Leipzig University Medicine.

After three years of training, you will have good chances on the job market. With appropriate professional experience, you will also have the opportunity to gain additional knowledge later on through further training to become a master animal keeper.

At vocational school, you will acquire further knowledge in job-specific fields of study (e.g. assisting with procedures and treatments, implementing hygiene concepts) as well as in general subjects such as German and economics and social studies. The vocational school responsible for our trainees is the Peter-Lenné-Schule, a higher-level agricultural college in Berlin.

You can find out more about the job description of an animal keeper for research and clinics from the Leipzig Chamber of Industry and Commerce (Industrie- und Handelskammer Leipzig) or the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit).