Bike mechanic apprenticeship scheme for prisoners nears first anniversary of success
Posted on in Business News , Cycles News
A pioneering prisoner apprenticeship scheme is being highlighted after almost a year of successful operation, offering participants hands-on training and professional qualifications to prepare for life beyond the prison gates.
The programme, run by the Oswin Project charity in collaboration with Cytech training provider Activate Cycle Academy and local bike shop Changing the Cycle, targets detainees who are granted Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL), helping them build skills and confidence while still serving time.
Based just a few hundred yards from HMP Northumberland, Changing the Cycle is open to the public and functions as both a working bike shop and a training hub for prisoners including “Jack,” a pseudonym for one of the current participants.
The initiative provides structured, accredited training in bike maintenance and repair, with the goal of helping detainees achieve industry-recognised Cytech qualifications, such as the Technical 2 accreditation, which Jack recently passed with distinction.
Activate Cycle Academy, a member of the ACT, delivers the technical training element, while the Oswin Project supports prisoners into employment and training as they near release.
Fiona Sample, CEO of the Oswin Project, said: “We are excited about this new partnership with Activate Cycle Academy and appreciate the support given by the team at HMP Northumberland. Organising such initiatives is always a challenge and I am delighted the prison is working with the Oswin Project to make this happen. I hope Changing the Cycle will flourish, and that many bikes and lives will be rebuilt.”
Jack, 26, is the first person from HMP Northumberland to take part in the apprenticeship, attending the shop four days a week under ROTL, then returning to his cell in the evening.
The national newspaper Inside Time recently featured Jack’s story as part of its series on prisoners preparing for life after jail, underlining the positive impact of such schemes.
Jack said: “Working for the Oswin Project has made me use my time in custody constructively, it gives me something to look forward to every day, instead of sitting in my cell wishing time would go faster. I am now learning to fix and refurbish bikes in the bike shop, which gives me four days out of prison, and I can escape my reality for a little while.”