Cormac got in touch with Frontline Bikes shortly after being released from prison. He was interested in going back into education and learning a new skill and had heard about the City & Guilds accredited training course in cycle mechanics that we run.
PROVIDING A PATHWAY TO RECOVERY AND EMPLOYMENT
Frontline Make Change established our social enterprise Frontline Bikes in 2020 with the aim of providing training to people in the community who have been impacted by substance misuse, long-term unemployment and those emerging from custodial sentences.
There can be many barriers to employment for people with prior convictions and Cormac was keen to develop his knowledge and get useful experience so that he could earn a qualification that would help him to gain future employment.
The team at Frontline Bikes met with Cormac and put a plan in place that enabled him to complete the training course that worked with his schedule.
Over a period of six months and under the guidance of the Bike Mechanics Trainer, Paul Longworth, Cormac undertook the various modules of Levels 1 and 2 in Cycle Mechanics and progressed to achieve his qualification through a combination of practical and theoretical work. During this period, he also gained retail experience at Frontline’s bike shop in Inchicore.
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT
Throughout this time, he had regular check-ins with Frontline’s Prison Links Worker to ensure that he was supported with any difficulties or challenges he was facing with regards to reintegrating back into the community.
Upon completion of his course, Cormac is now ready and feels confident to make the step towards applying for jobs as a qualified bike mechanic and feels he has more opportunities ahead of him. He also hopes to manage his own bike shop in the future. “I would 100% recommend this course to anyone who is looking to gain knowledge and experience in bikes – it’s a great qualification.”
Participants in the course can be referred in from Frontline’s addiction service, other community organisations, Community Employment (CE) schemes or by getting in touch with us directly.
If you are interested in joining our training programme, you can get in touch with us via your key worker or by emailing us directly at info@frontlinemc.ie or calling 086 1276318.
