The Racing Academy and Centre of Education (RACE) campus has been buzzing with activity since the start of the new year and there is an air of excitement as trainees settle in to their work placements, international visitors complete their courses and a range of new stable staff programmes are promoted around the country.

Recruitment and retention issues within the industry have been well documented but there now appears to be a willingness among industry bodies to collaborate effectively in the task of attracting young people into racing and offering them the prospect of a sustainable career. RACE is working closely with Careers and Racing Education (CARE) as part of the broader Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) strategy to move this forward and we are trying to build awareness and support around some of these initiatives.