With the breadth of established recruitment pipelines in the equine industry limited, the opportunities are endless regarding populations that have not historically been engaged. This endeavor is two-fold; the need to educate the general public on the opportunities within the equine industry, as well as a need to educate employer on the potential positive recruitment opportunities from these populations.
Because of the depth of this goal, an Equine Education Coordinator was brought onto the Equine Workforce Initiative team in January of 2021. This individual works to understand and support existing, new, and emerging equine education and training programs across the state. Together, the team is working daily to collaborate with various entities to engage these populations from both an education and employer standpoint and help link them to education and employment to ensure their success. At this time those populations include:
Kindergarten through 12th grade
- Contributing regular educational pieces and event notifications to the Keeneland Kids Club newsletter
- Contributing to and supporting Kentucky Agriculture and Environment in the Classroom’s Connecting Science and the Horse curriculum, lessons for 3rd and 4th grade Kentucky students
- Hosting entry-level equine tours in collaboration with Amplify Horse Racing that focuses on introducing industry careers
- Participating in national conversations and initiatives pertaining to equine education and diversity, equity, and inclusion through the American Horse Council’s Youth Engagement Task Force and DEI Task Force
- Serving on the US steering Committee for Together for Racing International (TfRI), a global initiative to promote education, community engagement, and workforce in the Thoroughbred industry
Post-secondary institutions
(universities, training programs, 2-year colleges)
- Development of a career mentorship program in collaboration with Amplify Horse Racing, which pairs young adults with an interest in equine careers with Thoroughbred industry professionals
- Hosting entry-level equine tours in collaboration with Amplify Horse Racing that focuses on introducing industry careers
- Developing a presence at equine industry tour days and events such as Equitana USA to promote equine educational programs
- Participating in national conversations and initiatives pertaining to equine education and diversity, equity, and inclusion through the American Horse Council’s Youth Engagement Task Force and DEI Task Force
- Serving on the US steering Committee for Together for Racing International (TfRI), a global initiative to promote education, community engagement, and workforce in the Thoroughbred industry
Department of Corrections
(individuals re-entering after a prison sentence)
Recovery programs
(individuals entering workforce after treatment from substance abuse)
- Through collaboration with various support organizations, several vocational training programs are under-way. Please learn more about these organizations using the links below (more will be added soon):
- Taylor Made Farm and their School of Horsemanship and their School of Horsemanship
Support organizations include:
Military
(those entering the civilian world after either separating or retiring from the armed forces)
- Both North Star Therapeutic Services and the Resurrecting Lives Foundation are organizations at the forefront of veterans’ vocational training programs. Learn more about them below:
- North Star Therapeutic Services
- Resurrecting Lives Foundation