Josh Truman joins Racing to School team through Kickstart scheme

Racing to School recruit, Josh Truman is one of several new faces to enter the sport through the Government Kickstart scheme. In the first of two blogs, Josh shares his expectations of working in horseracing.

I am very fortunate to be given a role working in horse racing with Racing to School. I am excited to get started and try and give young people opportunities in a sport that they might not have had thought about before. Also, this is a great chance for me to try and work with a charity that does such amazing work. After four long years at university, the work has paid off, even through the pandemic where all the learning switched to online only, which came with its challenges. With my sporting background, having studied Sports Management, I will be able to use my academic experience to assist the charity in achieving the short-term goals.

And they’re off…

I am local to Warwick and Stratford-Upon-Avon racecourses, which is where I first met the sport. My interest really accelerated with my first visit to the Cheltenham Festival and has become a real sporting interest and hobby of mine ever since. I am delighted to be part of the Racing to School team, where I can help the charity in developing youth engagement in the sport, whilst understanding how the industry works from a different perspective, rather than just a fan.

On the job training

I am looking forward to undertaking six learning modules with the British Racing School, who are working with funder, the Racing Foundation to create a pipeline of new recruits through this scheme. This structured support should give me a good understanding of how the industry operates on a day-to-day basis, and an in-depth insight into the different industry roles. Within the next six months, I hope to meet many professionals within racing and to do my bit to inspire young people to become interested in a community sport.