Cycling England launches Bikeability assistant instructor course

Cycling England is looking for more people to help increase the amount of Bikeability training it offers the nation's youngsters. To meet that need it is introducing a two-day assistant instuctors course for people wanting to help deliver Bikeability training, which is provided free to all of the country’s schools.

The programme, called the National Standard Assistant Instructor course, supplements the existing four-day National Standard Instructors course, and is designed to encourage more people to become involved in giving Bikeability lessons as well as providing support for existing instructors.

People completing the course will be qualified to help deliver Levels 1 and 2 of the National Standard while supervised by a qualified instructor, and Cycling England says that training bursaries of £150 are on offer to help meet the cost of the course.

According to Bikeability Manager Paul Robison, the course provides “an ideal starting point for current cycle training volunteers or young leaders who want to become qualified to deliver Bikeability. It aims to train more people with a general interest and enthusiasm for cycling, to provide support to Bikeability schemes in a professional capacity that was not possible before."

He continued, "the course will help to achieve our vision of giving every child the chance to take part in Bikeability training.”

Bikeability was launched in 2007 and is billed as “the country’s official cycling proficiency for the 21st century.”

Some 2,000 qualified instructors deliver training in schools across England on Bikeability’s three levels, including teaching basic bike handling skills, cycling on quieter roads, and dealing with more challenging traffic conditions.

The new course, which is recognised by the Department for Transport, was trialled earlier this year and national rollout begins this month, starting with Cycle Training West Midlands.

Anyone interested in taking this course, or the four-day course for National Standard Instructors, should in the first instance contact an accredited Instructor Training Provider, a list of which is available on the Bikeability website, which also has information on the bursaries available.