How will the Industry Workforce Strategy support the breeding sector?

Earlier today, the independently chaired Horseracing Industry People Board (HIPB) published its workforce strategy which aims to secure a brighter future for everyone working in British racing and breeding.

Covering an initial three-year period, Our People, Racing’s Future sets out a vision for ensuring racing and breeding is an attractive, rewarding and fulfilling industry in which to work, where people feel supported to build a career and achieve their potential. 

We would encourage all our members to take the time to read it, with a link outlned below and please find outlined below specific details regarding the TBA’s involvement in its development and how the strategy will benefit the breeding sector.

How does the strategy support the breeding sector?

The TBA has closely with the HIPB in the development of the overall strategy with thorough consultation with breeders and stud farms to ensure that the key challenges we face are represented:

• Recruitment and retention of a skilled workforce into the sector.
• Recruitment into the stud sector with the ongoing decline of a rural market to target.
• Increasing costs and wider external challenges (NI/Inheritance tax) which have an impact.

The strategy supports and is aligned to the TBA’s own objectives and planned activity in this area already, which is co-funded by HBLB with additional support from the Racing Foundation for key initiatives and includes:

• Education and learning through online learning platform, TB-Ed
• Employer support through TBA initiatives and advice, including – employment law support, good employment practice forums, Business Essentials Programme on TB-Ed, CPD opportunities at courses, seminars and conferences
• Support for entry level training delivery through the National Stud

Planned activity for 2025 that the TBA have agreed with the HIPB that supports the breeding industry includes:

• • Mentoring for stud personnel
  • A recruitment campaign that will target potential returners to the industry.
  • Stud employee data collection initiative to improve our knowledge of the existing breeding sector workforce
  • Development of an employer quality standard scheme to commence in 2026
  • Increased support around drug and alcohol use and testing services

Our People, Racing's Future - Executive Summary.pdf

Published FAQs.pdf