Training and Education: age 14-18 + Traineeships : Apprenticeships

Education, Training & Employment:

Level 1 Equine Care & Management

Ideal for possible/pre Neet youngsters with school/training support – shared course option – see below.

Useful for employers for traineeships or apprenticeships in conjunction with a training organisation locally. The Lantra website industries section is helpful and should have up to date information for employers wanting to take on an apprentice. Lantra is Land based training organisation and awarding body. Lantra is recognised by the regulatory bodies Ofqual, SQA and Qualification Wales. This means that you can be sure their qualifications are nationally recognised. See below for full list of training providers in England and Wales

Apprenticeships are an excellent way for businesses (yards) to source and recruit new exciting talent, together with using Apprenticeship training scheme to up-skill and train existing staff within their organisation.

Apprentices can help employers gain the competitive edge, bring new ideas and ensure you have a workforce plan which is sustainable and will grow.

Apprenticeshps in the equine industry have sadly got quite a bad name because the yard owner/employer, does not feel the need to actually ‘train’ their apprentice or trainee because they feel or are told ‘training’ is provided by the college or training organisation.

It can be time consuming to train someone – but there is help at hand – see below how we can help you with the extra theory training they will need.

Think about taking on an apprentice, and as well as them taking the one day a week at college or with some other training organisation, you could offer them the extra option of further theory training alongside the ‘training’ at college etc.  It can be time consuming and therefore costly to train someone – but there is help at hand – see below how we can help you with the theory training they will need.

Currently in 2023 the national minimum wage for apprentices is Age & Apprenticeship Stage Apprenticeship Wage (per hour) Aged under 18 £4.81 Aged over 18 (but still on the first year of your apprenticeship) £4.81 Aged 18-20 £6.83 Aged 21-22 £9.18 Aged 23+ £9.50

For those youngsters who have been unsuccessful in gaining an Apprenticeship, a Traineeship might be the answer.

Government funding is available to employers who offer training and apprenticeships. Government funded Traineeship schemes however are being withdrawn in August 2023.  It appears this will be replaced by ‘T Levels’ from September 2023 – currently only the Level 3 Equine Groom information is available.

In the equine industry the trainees you take on will probably need to work on a day release programme with you – i.e. they will do one day a week at college or some other training group or organisation to gain the required skills apart from those they will learn with you. It will all be worked out in conjunction with the training company in your area- this could be one of the colleges or a specific company.

You are in a good position to offer the practical training to new staff/apprentices/trainees on a day to day basis as they work alongside you – but you do have to put that effort in and actually impart knowledge as you work – and you have to explain that you are doing so to the trainee – otherwise they do not feel as though they are being ‘trained’.

However, we realise that yards are busy places and you may have limited time to go into the detail of the theory of equine management for the course curriculum.

With the funding you get for your new staff members training, rather than spending your valuable time in giving them lots of mini lectures on the theory behind the jobs they are doing, or stopping to explain every last detail every time you ask them to do something new or differently, why not consider using Lingfield Equine Distance Learning courses to provide your new staff member with the theory knowledge.

Consider giving your trainee a warm space and a short time to study a couple of times a week. It won’t be all down to you though – if they are keen you must hope they will do studying and research work at home.  Training is legally supposed to be during work time though – so you may have to let them off half an our early sometimes to enable them to find time to train.   They need to be assessed and checked on their learning by you but officially as well.   The training company will organise that and do the rest.

Ask around in the equine yard owning community to find suitable training companies near you. Try Haddon Training or Keits.co.uk or equestrian training.co.uk  they cover some regions of the UK – they may know which companies are in your area if they cannot help you.  Alternatively the gov website has a list of training providers. The Training companies to search for are probably those offering training at smaller and/or more local yards.

Build a network of yard owners in your area – they are not all simply competitors – you are in the same industry and should be working together.  If you are struggling to get staff well so are they.  Chat to them about it – don’t feel you have to compete at everything.  Set up an informal employer training group just to help each other get staff.

Check this distance learning programme out for your trainee/apprentice staff.  It is subsidised specifically for your career students.