Your name Nicole Campbell
Your employer Christa Cuthbert racing
Your job title Racing Groom
Apprenticeship title <span style="font-family: " times="" new="" roman",="" serif;="" font-size:="" 1rem;"="">Racehorse care and Riding
What does your role involve?
On any given day my role can vary quite drastically as I get to see different parts of the racing industry. Some days I am based solely on racing yards, getting to work closely with vets, and physios getting to see what part they play in both the industry and the horses well-being. Some days I am riding multiple horses a day, getting to ride them on the training track, beach, and roads. Regularly riding with jockeys and the trainer which gives me such a good insight into how I can improve my riding through watching them and the tips they give me. Some days I get to go racing, getting to see the ins and outs and speak to different course officials and how they are involved in the running of the course.
What subjects did you study at school?
I studied maths, further maths, biology, chemistry, physics, ict, computer science, English literature and language and mandarin.
I started studying maths, further maths, chemistry, and biology at a level but left to change onto an apprenticeship.
Why did you choose to do an apprenticeship? And why did you choose this option instead of going to university?
I chose to do an apprenticeship as no classroom experience would give me the hands-on experience and connections that will help me progress my chosen career further in the long run.
How did you find out about your apprenticeship?
I found out about my apprenticeship through researching different ways to get into the racing industry, I applied to the National Horseracing College in Doncaster, and did the foundation course there and moved on to my apprenticeship.
What would you say to students who are trying to choose between university and an apprenticeship?
I think it really depends on what you want to do as a career but if there is an apprenticeship scheme that gets you into the job you would like to do, I highly recommend taking that route.
How did you find the adjustment to working life?
I have been working through my secondary school experience, with Saturday jobs and full time through summer so I found the adjustment quite familiar. I would 100% recommend finding a job before you start your apprenticeship so that you can learn to balance your workload and your job, and fine tuning your time management before starting your apprenticeship.
