With a wide range of programs specifically designed to upskill stable staff, Racing Victoria (RV) is fully committed to assisting trainers in attracting and developing their workforce.
The multiple offerings, which are all fully funded, include:
- Trackwork Rider training
- the Stable Start program
- leadership courses for senior staff and
- the Rider Development Squad.
Lead Educator, Danielle Smith mixes her role as RV’s Workforce Educator and Apprentice Jockey Mentor with her work as a stablehand at Redgum Racing, so she is aware of the challenges facing the industry.
“We know how hard it can be for trainers to attract recruits into the industry and retain their existing staff members, so these programs are aimed at creating a pathway for people regardless of their experience,” she said.
“With a 90 per cent placement rate, the Stable Start program has proved very successful in equipping participants with the basic skills and confidence needed to join a stable. The trackwork rider program and senior leadership courses were created to assist stable staff in increasing their existing skills and broadening their knowledge, which in turn helps to ensure their longevity in this great industry.”
The following is a summary of the programs on offer:
Rider Development Squad
- The Rider Development Squad (RDS) is a program designed to provide existing and new track work riders with professional development learning to further their careers and chances of success in the Victorian Thoroughbred Racing Industry.
- The RDS is currently comprised of 47 budding young riders, with 42 females and five males.
- The entire squad meets four times a year.
- The sessions feature advice from qualified nutritionists, strength and conditioning education from the Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS) and squad members also receive one-on-one riding tuition from RV’s apprentice jockey coaches, Alf Matthews and Darren Gauci.
- Not all members of the RDS have ambitions to become professional jockeys, with several members joining the squad with a view to pursuing a career as trackwork riders and others choosing to ride on the picnic circuit.
Stable Start Program
- The beauty about this program is the new talent it attracts, from retirees with interests in working at the stable where their horse is owned, to non-English
speaking people, to long-term unemployed. This program has delivered a pool of capable and hard-working people for our industry.
- The intensive five-day course provides an entry level for people with no previous experience of working in a stable environment.
- Up to 10 places are available on each course, with sessions held regularly throughout the year at various statewide locations.
- If participants have experience of working with horses, they do not need to commit to the full five days.
- Participants complete the Certificate I in Racing (Stablehand), which gives them the mandatory number of units required for stablehand licensing with RV.
- Upon successful completion, graduates have the option of progressing to the Certificate II in Racing and RV can also assist them in finding
work with a stable.
- In 2023, more than 200 people from a diverse range of backgrounds came through Stable Start, with 90 per cent of
them subsequently gaining a placement in a stable.
- This year the program will operate from five venues: Cranbourne, Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo and Warrnambool, with the option for other locations in response to demand.
Leadership courses for senior stable staff
- This is a relatively new initiative that was launched following consultation with the operations team at Ciaron Maher Racing.
- The leadership sessions, which are based on a participant’s horse skills and prior experience, so far have been run at Ballarat and Cranbourne.
- The four categories are Leadership, Effective Communication, Conflict
Resolution and Teamwork.
- A total of 35 participants took part in the opening seminar, with places still available for the two remaining modules in June and July.
- Each session lasts two hours, with participants encouraged to discuss their own views and contribute to the topics raised.
- Due to popular demand, Flemington has been added as a course venue with several dates available in the coming months.
Trackwork Rider Program
- RV is pleased to offer off-the-job training and education for trackwork rider program for new riders, which is off-the-job. The program was launched in response to changes to the licensing requirements for prospective trackwork riders to enter the workplace.
- Up to four participants are inducted into the program at Cranbourne and Ballarat every six weeks
- From 28 and 29 June, a more intensive model of the program will be launched at Werribee, with accommodation offered for successful regional applicants.
- Students receive personal tuition in a small group each week, with RV providing the horses.
- Up to 48 places are offered per year.
- Participants also attend three sessions at RV’s head office, where they learn
from the stewards and veterinary teams, receive tuition from the Victorian Institute of Sport and also undergo mechanical horse training from Alf Matthews and Darren Gauci.
- Upon completion of the nine-month program, graduates receive their Certificate III in Racing (Trackwork Rider) which gives them accreditation as a slow and fast trackwork rider.
For more info on each program, please visit the RV website at www.racingvictoria.com.au/careers or email careers@racingvictoria.net.au