Three local women have recently completed the Julian House Build-a-Bike course, each successfully gaining 3 AQA accreditations.
Build-a-Bike is a project-based course that has been developed in collaboration with Julian House service users as well as those referred from other agencies. The course is intended for people with a history of homelessness, an offending background, substance misuse needs or long-term unemployment and it provides an opportunity to build confidence, learn skills and get a positive lift back into independence and employment
When Tara was referred by the Domestic Abuse Agency that was supporting her, she was nervous about being in a mostly male environment. Our employability worker Geraldine noticed that this was a common theme amongst women who were referred and decided to set up a course specifically for women.
“It was great to see Tara and the other ladies grow in confidence in an environment where they felt completely comfortable. They worked with a workshop mechanic to fully dismantle a bike and rebuild it from its component parts.”
All three completed the six-week course and now have a portfolio containing records of their work, an attendance certificate and three AQA qualifications in Introduction to Health & Safety in the Workplace, Repair and Service of Bicycles and Bicycle Maintenance
They also got to keep the bike that they built, which has meant so much to all of them. One now uses her bike to visit family who were too far away to walk and another can now do more shifts at her new job which has been a real lifesaver for her.
You can find out more about our bike workshop and build-a-bike courses here.
