Funding awarded to improve non-yard based apprenticeships in the horseracing industry

Following the results of the Non-Yard Based Apprentice Survey, funded by the Racing Foundation, phase 2 funding has been awarded to launch a pilot non-yard based apprentice programme.

Key recommendations being taken forward from the research include:

• Designing a portfolio of non yard-based apprenticeship schemes,
• Assisting with employer access to levy transfer scheme providing an opportunity to scale up apprentice levels within racing, and 
• Support for the industry to have a centralised dedicated resource in place to support businesses and apprentices.

The survey was launched in November 2021 and reached over 17,000 people within racing organisations and businesses across the UK with the aim of investigating the interest and industry support of non-yard-based apprenticeships.

By exploring diversity in such roles, the survey found that currently 25% of apprentices come from an ethnic minority backgrounds compared to the UK population of 14%. However this is accompanied with an alarming churn rate, with 25% of racing’s non-yard based workforce leaving within a year.

Racing’s stakeholders expressed enthusiasm to support apprenticeships within their workforce yet employers expressed a lack of resources for training them. Some of the most popular survey responses expressed that apprentices are needed in areas such as administration, marketing and events.

Phase two of the pathway will help the implementation and management of non-yard-based schemes, aid the industry’s concerns and knowledge in the area, and reduce the pressures and costs in terms of candidate attraction.

We will pursue these recommendations with the aim of creating a credible and successful career pathway for a more diverse and sustainable talent pool in the horseracing industry.