GBGB Stories - episode 2: Employment of young people
GBGB Stories, a new video interview series, shines a spotlight on the people, greyhounds and untold stories that make British greyhound racing so important.
The contribution of greyhound racing to employment for young people, women and local communities is celebrated in the latest episode.
Romford Stadium manager Karen McMillan and Peter Bedford MP joining GBGB director of corporate affairs Abbie MacGregor to explore the wide range of careers sustained by the sport and the opportunities it provides for people who may choose a practical rather than purely academic route into employment.
More than 1,000 people aged between 16 and 25 work within licensed greyhound racing. At Romford Stadium, where McMillan has built a 30-year career in betting and leisure, more than 60 per cent of the workforce are women.
The episode looks to the substantial workforce surrounding every race meeting, including roles in greyhound care, veterinary services, hospitality, catering, media, administration, security and stadium operations.
It comes as prime minister Andy Burnham has placed tackling the number of young people outside employment, education or training at the centre of the government’s agenda.
With more than one million 16 to 24-year-olds currently in that position, GBGB believes industries already providing accessible, locally based employment must be recognised as part of the solution.
MacGregor said: “Greyhound racing provides precisely the kind of opportunities politicians say they want to create: local jobs, practical training, routes into employment for young people and genuine career progression for women.
“Karen’s career demonstrates what those opportunities can become. She has worked her way through the industry over three decades to lead one of Britain’s best-known greyhound stadiums.
“We are also extremely grateful to Peter Bedford for his political support and for recognising the contribution greyhound racing makes to employment and local communities.
"At a time when more than one million young people are outside employment, education or training, sports such as ours are clearly part of the solution.
“Those campaigning against greyhound racing often speak as though a stadium could simply disappear without wider consequences; the people employed there become an afterthought, if indeed they are acknowledged at all.
“Greyhound racing is sometimes discussed as if it consists only of the few minutes during which the greyhounds are on the track. This episode reveals everything surrounding those minutes: skills learned and shared, opportunities created, and local institutions sustained by people who are proud of what they do.”