Equine Apprenticeships at East Durham College

In the UK, the equine industry is big business, with a turnover in the region of 1 billion pounds every year.

As a horse care apprentice, you could find yourself working in a wide variety of sectors relating to horses, including horse racing, driving, endurance, dressage, horse trials and show jumping and many other supporting industries where horse care is essential such as riding schools, livery yards, competition yards and rescue centres.

Apprentices gain real, hands-on experience of what its like to work in a professional environment around horses. As an apprentice, you’ll work alongside senior staff members who will instruct you and build your skills, you’ll earn an apprenticeship wage and you’ll be based at an actual employer’s premises, gaining valuable work experience as you go. You’ll also be expected to complete some written work and/or practical work, which may – depending on the apprenticeship – require you to attend college to complete the work.

Horse Care Apprenticeship Levels

In the UK, education is classed into different levels, starting from 1 and ending with 8.

Apprenticeships relate directly to education – the idea behind an apprenticeship in horse care is that you receive an equivalent ‘level’ qualification after completion, making an apprenticeship an ideal alternative if you think college might not be for you.

Horse Care apprenticeships are available at the following levels:

• Level 2 (Intermediate) – applicants must be 16 years of age, and show the ability and drive to successfully complete the apprenticeship programme. This route is generally considered to be the equivalent of 5 good GCSE pass grades
• Level 3 (Advanced) – at this level, an employer may request at least 3 good GCSE grades from an applicant, or want previous experience of working in the industry. This depends entirely on the employer. An advanced level apprenticeship is generally considered to be the equivalent of 2 A level passes

Which apprenticeship might be right for you will likely depend on your previous experience and your grades at school. This is however not always the case – depending on the employer, they might consider you for a level 3 apprenticeship if, for example, you have plenty of experience working with horses but don’t have the grades from school.

If you’d like more advice on which apprenticeship to take, or would like to register your interest for a horse care apprenticeship, we can help. Please contact the East Durham College apprenticeship team directly by calling 0191 518 8294 or 0191 518 5587 or you can email apprenticeships@eastdurham.ac.uk.