Arena Racing Company partners with Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation to create pioneering apprenticeship scheme

Arena Racing Company has created a series of apprenticeships in partnership with the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation. This apprenticeship programme will be implemented at Lingfield Park racecourse, the busiest UK track that holds over 75 Flat, Jump and All-Weather fixtures throughout the year. This partnership, brought together by The Racing Pathway, is the first of its kind in horseracing and will build a diverse employee pipeline and a framework for progression within the business.

Jayne Greenman, HR Director at Arena Racing Company, said: “Both the board and the HR team here at ARC are fully invested in helping people progress through the business. We are already a levy paying employer and support staff with relevant qualifications through part-funding, full-funding and paid time off to study and take exams. When Josh proposed a partnership with the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation it quickly became apparent that they shared our vision to provide everybody with the opportunity to grow and progress. The partnership is another positive step in achieving ARC’s D&I ambitions.” 

The Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation, established amid unprecedented growing global awareness of racial inequality, exists to inspire a more equitable, inclusive society, and to foster opportunities for marginalised young people in the UK. The Foundation is committed to creating a fairer society in which all young people, regardless of their background, have the opportunity to flourish. By providing mentoring, coaching, work experience opportunities, and bursaries for education and training, the foundation broadens young people’s views of what’s possible, and creates pathways into education and career opportunities which might not otherwise be open to them. 

Jess Neil, CEO of the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation, said: “The Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation exists to inspire a more equitable and inclusive society for young people from marginalised backgrounds. The collective power of collaboration in the journey towards equity cannot be understated, so to have the support of the racing industry, through esteemed partners like Arena Racing Company and The Racing Pathway, in delivering this vision, is as powerful as it is transformative. Stephen’s legacy serves as a reminder that when we uplift young people from marginalised communities, we are not just opening doors for them, but enriching the very spaces they step into. It’s this shared belief — that our institutions, industries, and societies are infinitely better with diverse perspectives at the centre— that fuels our collective drive. Together, we are not only empowering young people from marginalised communities but ensuring a brighter, more equitable future for us all.” 

The new apprenticeship scheme is looking to target applicants aged between 16 – 24, from ethnically diverse backgrounds, for four entry level roles at the racecourse. Each of the roles will focus on a different aspect of the business – Business Administration, Maintenance, Hospitality and Groundskeeping.  

Josh Apiafi, founder of The Racing Pathway, said: “Following racing’s wide support of Stephen Lawrence Day in April, we were delighted to facilitate the introduction of the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation and ARC.  This enabled a new partnership, which is creating opportunities for young people via four apprenticeships at Lingfield Park Racecourse. It is exciting to see that one of the positions is the Business Administration (Racing) Apprenticeship which The Racing Pathway brought together and launched for the industry with the support of the Racing Foundation. The Racing Pathway strategy aims to create opportunities in racing for people from all parts of society, we are delighted that ARC’s partnership underlines their commitment to this.”