Modern Apprenticeship in Equine at SCQF Level 5

The land-based and environmental sector currently accounts for approximately 115,700 employees and 24,500
businesses in Scotland. The equine industry is a broad industry with a variety of areas of employment. Equine
represents 1% of businesses within the sector in Scotland with a total of 2,200 employees and 1330 businesses.
Nearly 60% of these businesses in Scotland are very small, employing no more than 4 people while a further
26% employ less than 10 people. With this in mind, it is crucial that the sector has skilled competent workforce
they can rely on. This is one of the reasons Lantra reviewed the NOS to ensure the SVQ’s and MA’s for the
Equine industry were up to date and contained the correct skills and knowledge required for the Equine sector.

The equine industry in the UK is both vibrant and valuable, contributing around £8bn a year to the economy.
With around 1m horses, the sector has a gross output of £4.3bn a year and is the second largest rural employer
after agriculture. There are 1.3m regular riders and 3.1m former riders who would like to return to the saddle,
meaning that the infrastructure must be robust enough to support this desire to be active1.

Evidence at a UK-wide level suggests that the equine sector has important local, regional and national economic
impacts as well as benefits to health, wellbeing and quality of life. Much of the data about Scotland’s equine
industry can only be extrapolated from sources available at UK-wide level such as the British Equestrian Trade
Association’s National Equestrian Survey, which does not adequately reflect the geography, land use or
economic circumstances of Scotland. Therefore, there is a need to use data from sources spanning back to
2011.

The equestrian industry is thought to be the second biggest employer in the rural environment in the UK, after
agriculture. LANTRA (2011) identified that out of 19,000 UK-based equine businesses, 1,330 (7%) are in
Scotland, and out of 41,220 people employed in the industry, 2,200 (5%) are in Scotland. The horse population
is increasing across Scotland, especially on farms (by approximately 10,000 equines on agricultural holdings
between 2003 and 2013)2. It is expected that employment in equine businesses will grow, and the economic
contribution of the equine industry, both to agriculture and the wider economy, is likely to increase significantly
in the coming decades. The implications of this increase on the structure of the equine industry, horse
ownership, and equine welfare are key areas of interest and concern to Scotland’s equine welfare
organisations. Which is why it is key that we have up to date, fit for purpose SVQ’s and MA framework for the
versatile equine industry.

The equine industry is broad in the line of work they do covering riding schools, livery yards, competition yards,
clubs, instructors and racing yards. Apprentices work with a range of horses and people carrying out activities
such as grooming, mucking out and maintaining the welfare of horses. Skills and knowledge are very important
in this area of work to ensure the health and safety of all as well as the welfare of the horse. During the review
of the NOS and SVQ’s this was highlighted as a key area of improvement.

When qualified, employees are required to work either alone or in a small team, often with multiple horses.
This type of work requires good communication skills and the ability to work with a range of horses, preparing
them for different activities, therefore, each person working in the equine industry, has an important role to
play within the organisation.

Modern Apprenticeship in Equine at SCQF Level 5 website