Bike for Good’s improved Cytech traineeship for women and non-binary people proving successful
Posted on in Cycles News
A new and improved traineeship programme for women and non-binary people being implemented by Bike for Good, which delivers Cytech training in Scotland, is proving successful.
In addition to the new traineeship Bike for Good has continued to double its offering of women and non-binary Fix Your Own Bike sessions. The traineeship is an ongoing, evolving project that allows the trainees to feel part of the wider Bike for Good community. All five trainees have successfully completed an intensive two-week training course giving them the skills to complete Cytech level 1 & 2 assessments.
All five trainees are now volunteering with Bike for Good in various activities including helping at Dr Bikes for Bike for Good and its sister company Motion Forward. They are also working and developing their knowledge and skills in the training and volunteer department as well as continuing to assist with the delivery of the women and non-binary programme of events, such as Fix Your Own Bike sessions on the first and third Saturday of the month. The volunteers have also been helping to build new bikes out of boxes for a new project, Switch Up, which is about leasing bikes on a month-by-month basis via a subscription. These tasks can only help develop the trainees and get their skills up.
One trainee is taking the knowledge learned from the trainee mechanic volunteering role with Bike for Good back to the NHS Hub where she will maintain their fleet of bikes. This fleet of bikes is used to deliver mental and physical health benefits to long term patients from Leverndale Hospital.
Bike for Good is one of many organisations working hard to do away with these hierarchies and barriers. Bike for Good is currently the only training provider of the industry standard Cytech training in Scotland. This scheme has been facilitated by Bike for Good mechanics using the dedicated training space at its South hub, and the Cytech training space at its West hub in Glasgow.