Advice please on providing training for the general public and adults

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pedals2slowly
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Joined: 11 Jan 2007, 7:50pm

Advice please on providing training for the general public and adults

Post by pedals2slowly »

One of the factors that stops people cycling is fear of injury.
One element that can reduce that fear is training cyclists to ride safely (assertively, confidently etc.)
Locally we are looking at the possibility of obtaining funding to offer Bikeability level 3 (and 1&2 if necessary) to the general public, using the local council Bikeability scheme. (For which I am an instructor)
Has anyone done anything of this nature?
How did you get funding? (We are looking at CO-OP and Waitrose community funding schemes)
Was there sufficient interest from the public?
Any other pearls of wisdom?
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pjclinch
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Re: Advice please on providing training for the general public and adults

Post by pjclinch »

In Scotland the cycling promotion quango Cycling Scotland have a scheme called "Essential Skills" (see https://www.cycling.scot/what-we-do/training/essential-cycling-skills) which notionally costs £20 but is often provided free. I do it for NHS Tayside for other NHST staff (that's where my day-job is, I do the cycling as a voluntary aside) and University of Dundee and Dundee City Council also offer it in the workplace. Uptake isn't huge, but it is there, so it might be worth talking to local employers and seeing if they're interested in doing something (now active travel is seen to have health benefits, the public health arm of your local NHS may be particularly worth approaching, they're the bit of NHST who organise and promote my efforts).

Essential Skills boils down to "Bikeability in a Half-Day", which is a bit of a stretch but as I'm doing it for free I take groups at a similar level and cook up something specific to their needs. Last one I did was actually Bikeability levels 2 & 3 over a couple of lessons, I have also done absolute beginners where the goal is getting them to the point they can practice not-falling-off on their own.

I find that teaching adults who are used to how roads "work" (especially if they're already drivers) is much more straightforward than teaching youngsters. For example, on a big roundabout where a primary child just wouldn't have any idea what was going on to start with you can cut to the chase and say it works in significant part like it does in a car.

Pete.
Often seen riding a bike around Dundee...
pedals2slowly
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Joined: 11 Jan 2007, 7:50pm

Re: Advice please on providing training for the general public and adults

Post by pedals2slowly »

That's useful, thanks
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Si
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Re: Advice please on providing training for the general public and adults

Post by Si »

pjclinch wrote:In Scotland the cycling promotion quango Cycling Scotland have a scheme called "Essential Skills" (see https://www.cycling.scot/what-we-do/training/essential-cycling-skills) which notionally costs £20 but is often provided free. I do it for NHS Tayside for other NHST staff (that's where my day-job is, I do the cycling as a voluntary aside) and University of Dundee and Dundee City Council also offer it in the workplace. Uptake isn't huge, but it is there, so it might be worth talking to local employers and seeing if they're interested in doing something (now active travel is seen to have health benefits, the public health arm of your local NHS may be particularly worth approaching, they're the bit of NHST who organise and promote my efforts).

Pete.


thats interesting....how do you qualify in order to teach it?
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pjclinch
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Re: Advice please on providing training for the general public and adults

Post by pjclinch »

Si wrote:
pjclinch wrote:In Scotland the cycling promotion quango Cycling Scotland have a scheme called "Essential Skills" (see https://www.cycling.scot/what-we-do/training/essential-cycling-skills) <snip>


thats interesting....how do you qualify in order to teach it?


To qualify to teach Essential Skills is a short orientation course (2 hours) for existing CS Cycle Trainers (CT is a 4 day course, I imagine similar to those offered down south and covers all 3 levels of Nat Stds plus risk assessment etc.). These are taught by CS Tutors, which is the top level of instructor.
Essential Cycling Skills Instructor Orientation is listed as free.

That's changed a bit since I did it, when you didn't have to be a CT (though I was) but it was a full day course. Like many of these things there was technically a price but paying it yourself if you work in the public sector (I do) was a bit like a full price sofa from DFS.

Pete.
Often seen riding a bike around Dundee...
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