publication date: Oct 23, 2009
To date, an impressive
150,000 children have benefitted from
Bikeability - cycling proficiency for the 21st century - and the aim is for
500,000 children to be Bikeability-trained by
2012. A groundswell of
demand for Bikeability means that
more instructors are being recruited to
deliver the training.
As an
added incentive to encourage people to
join the ranks of the growing base of
Bikeability instructors, training bursaries of
£300 are available which effectively
cut the cost of getting trained by half. The
complete package makes it an
ideal option for mums returning to work and
comprises:
- Earning potential of up to £20,000 per year
- Flexible hours
- Variety of working in different locations with different people
- Opportunity to keep fit and active in the outdoors
- Being at the forefront of a nationwide drive to equip children with essential cycling skills
Supporting the campaign,
Denise Lewis, said: "Cycling is a key
life skill. As a mum, I think it's
so important that we give children the chance to learn how to
cycle safely and independently. My kids love
cycling outside in the fresh air, and I love seeing the
sense of independence it gives them, but it's really
important to make sure they get the
right training from day one... This is about
cycling skills for all children but, who knows, it might just help inspire
Olympic cycling champions of the future too."
The
recruitment campaign launches against a backdrop of widespread
parental restrictions on when, where and how children cycle. Research from
Cycling England has shown that over
three quarters of parents (81 per cent) ban their children from
cycling independently, or limit their children's cycling to such a degree that we are seeing an emerging breed of children restricted to
cycling circuits of their immediate road or neighbourhood streets. Whereas one in three
parents (35 per cent) were allowed to
cycle to school, less than
one in five (18 per cent) allow their children to ever do so
today - and just
four per cent of children actually
cycle to school regularly.
While
Bikeability sessions happen year round, the next
major burst will take place early in
2010 - making now the
ideal time to explore instructor
career options. There are a number of accredited
Instructor Training Providers throughout the country and
training can take as little as
four days to complete.
To find out more about being a
cycling instructor, visit www.bikeability.org.uk/professionals
