Take The Reins and The Strive Group to offer unique Traineeship to boost new talent in horse racing careers

Young people looking for career opportunities in the horseracing industry are being offered a unique traineeship gateway thanks to a partnership announced today between Take The Reins and The Strive Group.

The sports-based not-for-profit organisation, which works primarily through and in the racing industry to support and deliver positive outcomes for young people and communities, is launching a pilot programme with TSG, experts at creating inclusion through education and skills.

The eight-week hybrid learning traineeship will offer up to 15 young people essential skills, specialist knowledge of the sport and 70 hours work-experience within affiliated businesses connected with the thoroughbred horseracing sector. It will end with a residential stay at the British Racing School before a final ‘leaver’s ceremony’ in Newmarket, the home of horseracing.

Deborah Hay, CEO of TTR, said: “The launch of the traineeship was testimony to the work the organisation had carried out throughout the pandemic, including being awarded financial support from The Racing Foundation and the Anne, Duchess of Westminster Fund.

“TTR was launched as a stand-alone organisation amid the uncertainty brought about by COVID-19. While this was far from ideal, it enabled us to build up the relationships with community groups and the industry to position ourselves ready to launch this, and other programmes across the country.

“The first traineeship will be offered to young people living in the London area. Hopefully it will offer some hope and opportunities to those, hardest hit by the pandemic who have felt isolated and forgotten while the country tries to recover from the financial impact of the last two years. We want to be able to show these young people that the Thoroughbred industry has a huge number of career pathways for them – whether they want to work directly with horses or are happiest in a kitchen or a design studio.”

Once the young people have completed the eight-week programme, TTR and TSG will work together to mentor them to follow existing career pathways within the horseracing industry. It is hoped that any periods of work experience could provide opportunities for longer-term employment or apprenticeships with the different stakeholders involved.

Ben Drew, TSG’s Director of Innovation and Skills, added: “Partnering with TTR for this project is very exciting, our vision for youth development and real employment opportunities are perfectly aligned. The racing industry offers a huge variety of roles and excellent long term career stability and growth. With the industry only really taking Christmas day off, the opportunity to work and earn in this sector is plain to see. Working alongside TRR we aim to provide a truly engaging development programme for the sector, offering fantastic learning and work experience opportunites to meet the needs of both employers and the next generation of employees.”

The course will consist of basic employability skills (as well as functional skills for those that need it) while also introducing the candidates to the thoroughbred industry via The National Stud, one of the world’s leading providers of Thoroughbred industry education for over 30 years. The horseracing qualification will be accredited by the industry’s awarding body, 1^st4Sport.