BHS ‘driving the industry’ with new education system
Five new pathways, a focus on careers rather than qualifications, and a drive to ensure all candidates can be employed are factors behind the updated scheme
THE British Horse Society (BHS) hopes its revamped education and qualification system will help “drive the industry forward for years to come”.
Compared to the former exam system, the “equine excellence pathway”, which was launched on Monday (17 July) will offer more flexibility. It will also focus more on careers than qualifications and “support life-long learning”, according to BHS education director Alex Copeland.
Major changes include replacing the previous titles, so a BHSAI will now be known as a BHS stage three coach in complete horsemanship.
Qualifications will also become more flexible, so those who only want to teach dressage, for example, no longer have to jump.
“This is about being industryrelevant,” Mr Copeland told
H&H. “We’re the world-leading system; our qualifications have international recognition, and we want to ensure we stay that way.”
Mr Copeland said flexibility is the “key word” of the new system. Five pathways are on offer, for coaches in complete horsemanship, professional riders, grooms, teachers and those who work in equine tourism.
Candidates will study in stages as before, but with assessments rather than exams for each, and they will not necessarily have to do everything in one set way.
“We want to ensure the system represents modern industry practice,” Mr Copeland said. “So for putting on rugs, for example, as long as candidates understand what they’re doing, are safe around horses and consider their welfare, that’s fine. That comes across in all our new supporting books and other material too.”
‘We want to ensure everyone with a BHS qualification is employable’ ALEX COPELAND
CONSULTATION
THE BHS has implemented the changes in recognition of the fact the system needed to be brought up to date, but also in response to users’ feedback.
A consultation involved “speaking to as many people as we could”, including candidates, equestrian centres and industry experts such as vets and saddlers.
“A big thing is that we want to ensure everyone who comes out with a BHS qualification is employable,” said Mr Copeland.
“We wanted to ensure our qualifications are cutting-edge and leading the way; as well as reflective of current practices. We want to make sure everyone knows what they want to do and provide the right support, so they can achieve what they want to.
“There’s a huge amount of excitement. We’ve been running stakeholder days with colleges and centres and getting fabulous feedback; everyone’s very excited about the changes.”
British Grooms Association (BGA) executive director Lucy Katan welcomed the new specialist pathways.
“I did my BHSAI and those skills stayed with me through my grooming career; it’s good oldfashioned horsemanship,” she told H&H. “It was a very good system but the whole thing was aimed at being a teacher or coach.
“What I like about this pathway is it gives more recognition to a groom’s role.
“It’s great what they’ve done, a very positive step and we’ll promote the system. We just need to make sure that, if we’re training people in career pathways, there are jobs for them at the end of it. That’s the BGA’s challenge.”
The system will also provide a range of continuing professional development options for those on all pathways.
Lindsay McCallum, now a
BHS stage five coach in complete horsemanship (formerly a BHSI) who rides and trains for William Fox-Pitt, said: “Passion, talent and dedicated can get you noticed, but a life-long career in the equine industry is made a reality through the opportunities that your BHS career pathway opens up.”
Visit: bhs.org.uk/pathways