Could an apprenticeship be the perfect route for your child to develop their future career?
Dressage rider Emilia Bishop has recently completed her Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE) with us and is now progressing onto a senior equine groom apprenticeship based with employer Judy Harvey. As part of parents and carers day for National Apprenticeship Week, we caught up with Emilia and her mum, Tracie, to get their perspective on apprenticeships and how they have helped shape Emilia’s promising equine career.
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Tracie says, “Horses have always been in my life, but I’ve never had a serious equestrian background. I took Emilia for lead rein lessons when she was three years old, which she loved! After her GCSE’s, Emilia took a year out from studying to focus more on her riding. She started the AASE programme in July 2020, employed with Judy Harvey Equestrian, and she is still there now. She’s now on a career path that she is truly passionate about.
To me, an apprenticeship provides a more hands-on experience, whilst still gaining a recognised qualification. Everyday there are different challenges which prepare the learner for adult life. Emilia has become much more confident and independent since starting her apprenticeship. Her riding and equestrian knowledge have improved, and she now has a real insight in to how a successful business operates.
Emilia always doubted herself and lacked confidence, but she has been given so much encouragement and support from Judy Harvey and from the team at Haddon Training. She is finally starting to believe in herself. The Chimp Management psychology courses at the AASE training camps were really interesting too and have made Emilia think outside the box.
Emilia has had fantastic support from Haddon Training. There has always been someone available for any questions or queries, nothing is ever too much trouble for their team. She now tackles everything with such maturity and has a very professional attitude.
I hope her love of horses continues and that she becomes successful in what she loves doing. The AASE programme was definitely a great decision for her, and I would thoroughly recommend apprenticeships!”
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Emilia adds, “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time on the AASE programme. It’s so good to be hands-on in a professional environment because you gain so much more knowledge by getting stuck in! My riding especially has improved massively and I’m definitely a more independent person.
AASE gave me amazing opportunities, particularly through attending the camps, including ridden coaching sessions, interview guidance with Lizzie Greenwood-Hughes, strength & conditioning sessions, as well as website building with Equimi. I’ve also gained so much knowledge from my fantastic employer, Judy, and she’s really helped me develop as a person and rider.
Being able to work in a professional environment has enabled me to prepare for the future; how to run a business successfully and more importantly, how to deal confidently with owners, clients and equine tradespeople (farriers, dentists, vets, saddlers, etc).
I’ve always been a slightly nervous rider due to a bad fall I had a few years ago. The ridden sessions with the trainers at the camps, and with my employer, built my confidence by teaching me how to deal with situations quickly! I’ve learnt many new tools which I can use in the future on different horses that I ride.
Haddon Training has supported me incredibly well throughout my time on the AASE programme. If I ever have any concerns or questions, I always get a fast and helpful response from one of the team!
I’ve just enrolled onto the level 3 senior equine groom apprenticeship with Haddon Training too, which I’m really excited about! This will help me to further develop my skills, gain another recognised qualification and set me on the path to owning my own successful equine business one day.”
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If you would like to follow your dream career in the equine industry, just get in touch! We have a friendly team ready to talk you through what we can offer and provide advice on guidance on how to proceed.
You can also view all our current apprenticeship opportunities here.