Cycle Training in Scotland

[Philip Benstead]

Cycle Training in Scotland

I understand that Cycle Instructors are volunteers in Scotland, unlike in England, where they are paid, and many try to work full-time.

Question

Does anyone on this forum have any experience with cycle training in Scotland?
Do they follow Bikeability?
What is their view of the quality, and how many riders do they train?

[Bonefishblues]

https://www.google.com/search?q=cycle+t ... e&ie=UTF-8

[Paulatic]

Yes
Yes
When I did it, towards 10 years ago, there were
2 volunteers attached to primary schools
2 Council leisure employees
Myself keeping Social services happy I was qualified to accompany kids with learning disabilities.

[pjclinch]

Cycle Training in Scotland

I understand that Cycle Instructors are volunteers in Scotland, unlike in England, where they are paid, and many try to work full-time.

It's not that simple...

Cycle training is overseen by Cycling Scotland, who have various levels of trainer. At the top of the pile is your Tutor, who is typically a professional cycle trainer, for example... https://stirlingcycletraining.com/pages/instructors delivering instruction to potential trainers as well as trainees.

Next level down is your Cycle Trainer Plus, who can instruct all levels and can also train Bikeability Scotland Instructors. A CT+ can teach all 3 levels of Bikeability Scotland. When I was a CT+ I was paid for trainer training, but did trainee training on a voluntary basis. Whether you do it for free or money is really down to a particular Local Authority and how they've chosen to deliver.

A CT (without the "Plus") can teach all 3 levels of Bikeability Scotland (and also risk assess areas for training, led rides etc.) but can't train BSIs. Again, payment is really down to delivery authorities for Bikeability Scotland. There'd be nothing stopping a CT charging for their services.

A Bikeability Scotland Instructor can only teach to Level 2 and can't do their own Risk Assessments. They will typically be volunteers.

Question

Does anyone on this forum have any experience with cycle training in Scotland?
Do they follow Bikeability?
What is their view of the quality, and how many riders do they train?

Experience, plenty, though I've not been delivering training myself for a while as my Day Job has got busier. I still feed back to resource consultations though so I'm up to speed on what's being taught and how.

Bikeability Scotland isn't quite the same as Bikeability but it's not far off and is aimed at implementing/delivering the same National Standards as Bikeability. I wouldn't say it's particularly better or worse from a read of the various resources for Bikeability. Most of the issues in the past have been some "old school" folks on the delivery board above Cycling Scotland with final sign-off who absolutely insisted on some pretty weird stuff like every stop to kerb be preceded by the slowing down/stopping right-hand up-and-down wave signal, but I think they've retired now and aren't dragging us back to the Cycling Proficiency age any more.

For numbers, have a look in https://cycling.scot/mediaLibrary/other ... 023-24.pdf

Pete.