Students on the course, which will include both theoretical and practical components, will learn how to carry out the repair and maintenance tasks typically undertaken at the Bicing warehouse
The course is held by Serveo and BSM in partnership with the Làbora Programme of the Municipal Institute of Social Services (IMSS) of Ajuntament de Barcelona, Barcelona Activa and the organisations Fundació Surt and Intermedia Ocupació
Bicing is launching a new edition of its Vocational School, a training programme for disadvantaged people. Like last year, this mechanics course is solely for women and seeks to help them break into a male-dominated profession.
The course is held by Serveo and BSM in partnership with the Làbora Programme of the Municipal Institute of Social Services (IMSS) of Ajuntament de Barcelona, Barcelona Activa and the organisations Fundació Surt and Intermedia Ocupació.
‘Initiatives like the Vocational School reinforce our commitment to equal opportunities and improved access to employment,’ said Laia Bonet, Chair of BSM and First Deputy Mayor of Ajuntament de Barcelona. ‘As well as providing technical training in bicycle mechanics, the programme helps participants access a traditionally male-dominated profession, helping to reduce the gender gap in the field of sustainable mobility,’ explained Bonet, who also highlighted that ‘BSM is committed to making Bicing a more accessible and equal-opportunities setting, which entails ensuring that everyone has the same opportunities when it comes to starting and pursuing a career in this area.’
Roger Junqueras, manager of UTE Pedalem, a joint venture between Serveo and PBSC: ‘The Vocational School is one of the initiatives through which Serveo has been contributing for years to the cities in which we operate. We are proud to be able to do this in Barcelona, especially through an initiative that is so closely linked to our Bicing service. This project enables us to offer opportunities to people in various groups at risk of exclusion, particularly women, in a profession that is highly sought-after due to the importance of shared and sustainable mobility in our society.’
Participants will receive 35 hours of theoretical training imparted by staff at the training consultancy Hedima, as well as 85 hours of hands-on training with Bicing’s mechanical team. Both parts of the course will be held at the Serveo-Pedalem’s offices and workshop in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat.
The programme will give 12 women the opportunity to learn how both traditional and electric bicycles work and how to carry out the repair and maintenance tasks typically undertaken at the Bicing warehouse. Students will also gain job search skills and resources during the course, training them for a profession that is currently suffering from a serious shortage of qualified talent. In fact, three participants of the last edition of the Vocational School for Women joined the Serveo-Pedalem workshop after the course.
