Rachel Jones, the new General Manager at JETS, reflects on how the initiative has grown in its support of jockeys’ future careers

I’m Rachel Jones, General Manager at the Jockeys Employment Training Scheme (JETS). Prior to this role, I worked in the utilities industry as a Learning & Development Manager, with most of my career focused on career development.

Racing has always been a passion of mine since I started working for a local trainer around my university studies. I’d never had any involvement in racing before that but fell in love with the sport from the start. After I finished my degree, I was lucky enough to gain a place on the British Horseracing Authority’s Graduate Development Programme, and then worked at Chepstow and Hereford Racecourses where I started training to become a Clerk of the Course.

Outside of work, I’m a mum to two boys (and a black Labrador!), and weekends are usually filled with football, swimming, or kids’ parties. So, life is busy – but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Right role and a great fit

I wasn’t looking for a new career and came across the General Manager position at JETS by accident – but saw it as an opportunity I couldn’t miss, giving me the chance to combine my personal and professional interests.

We support jockeys with training opportunities and career development. Helping people has always been important to me and I love how every candidate conversation is different – just as we’re all so incredibly different as people. I love the challenges that brings, in finding and delivering the right support for every jockey that speak to us. I’ve also been so impressed by how much support is available for jockeys – there’s always more we can do – but we really should be proud of everything that is in place right now.

30 years of JETS

Thirty years is a wonderful achievement, and it just shows how important this work is in supporting jockeys to gain relevant and useful skills that help them perform at their best now, while also helping them to develop meaningful careers after racing and supporting them along that journey. We know what works and I don’t like change for the sake of it but I’m also keen to keep listening, to understand what else we can be doing.

What I’m most proud of is how many jockeys we’ve been able to help. Whether that’s through providing training grants or scholarship funding, to helping them build CVs and apply for roles. Arranging media training, workshops or coaching to help them build their confidence, JETS has helped over 1,200 candidates in that time and I’m incredibly proud to be involved in this work.

Over the last 30 years, JETS has contributed to a real gear shift in jockeys’ attitudes to career development with a lot less stigma around the idea of planning and developing skills and qualifications to help jockeys for their future while they are still riding. Embracing that positive, forward-thinking mindset is something that we need to build on for the future.

The Richard Davis Awards

Our annual Awards are held in memory of Richard Davis, who was very passionate about planning for his future, before being fatally injured in a racecourse fall in 1996. The Awards recognise initiative, commitment, and clear direction, from both current and former jockeys, in setting up or preparing for their career after riding.

I joined just before this year’s Richard Davis Awards, and it was perfect timing for me to see the incredible standard of our entrants and finalists. I was blown away by the variety of careers being developed both around a riding career and afterwards – ranging from bloodstock work and equine dentistry to neuroscience and a paramedic, pilot and accountant.

The Richard Davis Awards are a great vehicle to showcase the variety of career paths available to jockeys, the transferable skills developed during a career in the saddle and the impact that JETS has in supporting these individuals. Hopefully they will encourage many more current and former jockeys to prepare for and develop successful second careers.

Supporting jockeys into education, community and industry roles

The Racing to School initiative is a perfect example of jockeys transitioning to a second career after racing and helps them ‘give back’ to the sport they love. The role is a perfect fit – involving racing knowledge, enthusiasm, being able to communicate and making the sport relatable – and it’s been brilliant to see our former jockeys do well in these roles. Ollie McPhail is a former winner of a Richard Davis Award recognising his second career with Racing to School.

It’s also been brilliant to see some of our current jockeys such as Jo Mason and Elisha Whittington going back into schools to help inspire the next generation about the sport. As well as being a great experience, it’s a useful way to gain public speaking and presentation skills and looks good on their CV.

As jockeys retrain and find second careers within racing the sport is able to retain their skills, knowledge, and experience within the industry. We’ve helped countless jockeys set up successful careers as Jockey Coaches, Trainers, Racecourse Officials, Agents, and media professionals, which has been great to see.

I’m also very proud of those jockeys that have branched outside of racing, and a few examples that have stood out to me are the former jockeys who are now helping their communities as police officers, paramedics, and firefighters. These roles are a perfect fit for jockeys, as they need to be calm under pressure and able to act in a fast-paced environment, communicate clearly and still give that sense of purpose and achievement – all transferable skills they developed during their riding career.

Looking ahead to more successful transitions

I’m keen to continue to build on the great work over the last 30 years, continuing to listen to jockeys to find out what’s important to them and making sure our support is easy to access and available when they need it most.

It’s also a really exciting time for the industry, there is so much work going on in the people space and I’m really excited to work alongside other groups and organisations within the industry to make sure we’re supporting our people as best we can.

I think we always have opportunities to improve and to learn from other industries as to how we can best support our people. I want to keep helping jockeys to perform at their best in their current role, while also supporting them during their transition in creating successful and meaningful second careers. I hope that my experience of people development from outside of this industry will be of great help here.

Here’s to the next 30 years and plenty more success stories.