Life Cycle Partners with Cytech to Deliver Rehabilitative Bike Maintenance Courses in Prisons

Posted on 13 Nov 2024

Award-winning cycling charity, Life Cycle, is excited to announce its new partnership with Cytech, the internationally recognised training and accreditation scheme for bicycle technicians. This collaboration will bring Cytech's renowned bike maintenance courses to Bristol and Leicester while boosting Life Cycle’s social impact in prisons and local communities.

Building on ten years’ experience delivering accredited cycle mechanics training, Life Cycle launched its new Cytech courses in HMP Bristol and HMP Fosse Way this October. These courses foster skills development and rehabilitation through hands-on training, so prisoners can build a brighter future.

Taught by experienced tutors and supported by volunteers, Life Cycle provides prisoners with opportunities to earn a bicycle maintenance qualification, while giving back to the community. Prison-based participants learn to refurbish donated bikes, saving them from landfill and returning them to local people as safe and sustainable modes of transport.

By acquiring skills and a qualification, prisoners not only enhance their employability, but also gain a sense of purpose and accomplishment.

“We are thrilled to partner with Cytech to bring these transformative courses to local prisons,” said Ed Norton, Life Cycle’s CEO. “Cytech courses are highly valued by the cycle industry, so we’re delighted to offer prisoners an opportunity to give back to the community, while achieving a qualification that can set them on a different path after release. We believe that everyone deserves a second chance, and providing practical skills is a vital part of that process.”

In addition to the prison-based courses, Life Cycle will expand its offering to the public in the coming months. Based at Life Cycle’s Bristol “Hub”, the courses will empower learners to progress from beginners to advanced cycle technicians. This is part of Life Cycle’s commitment to “strengthen the cycling sector” by growing the number of skilled mechanics in local communities and businesses.

Cytech’s training is recognised industry-wide for its high standards and comprehensive curriculum. This exciting partnership will set a benchmark for quality cycle mechanics training within the prison system and local communities - and enable public course participants to make a positive social impact by booking a Life Cycle course.

Jonathan Harrison, on behalf of the Association of Cycle Traders (ACT) said "Our new partnership with Life Cycle will allow us to offer Cytech training to more people in the UK than ever. Making high quality industry training more accessible and also increasing the pool of trained, dedicated technicians available to bike workshops up and down the country is important to Cytech and we feel Life Cycle are a great fit in sharing and achieving this goal.

Life Cycle's work with rehabilitation and vocational training offered to prisoners and ex-offenders is also a great example of the ethos of the business, that we will continue to support and help grow here in the UK.

Life Cycle join our strong network of high quality training providing partners delivering Cytech courses and raising the standards of bicycle mechanics worldwide, providing the best way to attain cycle mechanics qualifications within the industry.”

For more information about Life Cycle and its programmes, including upcoming Cytech courses open to the public, please visit Life Cycle’s website.