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How much of an interest have you shown in animal care before now? The course selection committees will be much more interested in people with experience, even if it's just looking after the family pet. Different course providers have different entry requirements, so there are no hard and fast rules about qualifications, generally speaking... but it's best to assume that most training providers require GCSEs.

If your CV shows that you have some experience in animal care matters, your chances of getting into one of the ever-increasing number of animal care courses will improve. If it doesn't, you might want to think about doing some volunteer work. This will show that you've gone out of your way to gain the experience you need, and the fact that you've been working without getting paid demonstrates ambition and commitment in wanting to join the animal care sector.

And you have a lot of places where you can offer your services: dog kennels, catteries, pet shops and even your local zoo. You could e-mail or phone and explain you're looking to do some unpaid volunteer work with animals, but a real letter on paper to the manager will grab their attention for sure. After your volunteer stint, you'll be able to ask for a reference or letter of recommendation to enclose with your CV.

You can find animal care courses advertised online, but if you don't see any vacancies in your immediate area, keep trying: many businesses are still not aware of the commercial benefits of taking on an apprentice. If you can explain the benefits (like the fact that an apprentice costs less than more experienced staff), you've got a very good chance of talking your way into the job you want.