– At most, we have 25-30 bikes that must be finished on the day. Fatlind Rama (27) shows off a shelf full of batteries to be returned. Customers flock to the door of Cykkelguttane in Kristiansand, even though January is quieter. – There are more and more bicycles. In the high season, working hours quickly become from 9 to 21, says the 27-year-old. He is happy that a new vocational certificate is on the way – Young bicycle mechanics with a vocational certificate will very easily get a job. GOOD WITH SCHOOL: Sali Rama started a bicycle shop in 2017 and has recruited employees from different backgrounds. “Knowledge through a vocational certificate is very good,” he believes. Photo: TOM NICOLAI KOLSTAD / news – Much higher demands It is the sports industry itself that took action. They asked the Directorate of Education to look at the possibilities for a new vocational certificate. – The queues at the workshops are too long, especially from March-April onwards, says director of the Norwegian Sports Industry Association Trond Evald Hansen. MORE KNOWLEDGE: – The need is huge, says Trond Evald Hansen of the Norwegian Sports Industry Association. Photo: Private – We risk that cyclists will not start the season. And we can’t have it like that. For bicycle shops, the market has increased and changed. More cyclists ordering service. New technology. From old-fashioned gear and brake problems. To also handle the electric motor, battery technology and meking on reinforced solutions such as the electric bike’s frame and brakes. – Requirements for competence on bicycles are much higher after the arrival of electric bicycles, says Hansen. – GOOD IDEA: Theodor Kroslid (left) and Tristan Greipsland attend VG1 electro and think a new certificate for bicycle mechanics sounds good. Photo: TOM NICOLAI KOLSTAD / news Thumbs up in the school yard Outside the Quadrangle vgs. in Kristiansand, news meets a group of 16-year-olds on VG1. They aim at electricians. Several of them think bike mechanic sounds good. – It could certainly be cool. Bicycle mechanics will be a mix of electrical and TIF (technology and industrial subjects, editor’s note), says Theodor Kroslid (16). – Because then you can screw up a bit on bicycles – and electric motors. POSITIVE: Oda Oline Omdal in Høyre is positive about the new vocational certificate. Photo: private Oda Oline Omdal in Agder Høyre is concerned with school policy. She is positive about vocational certificates for bicycle mechanics. – I think that we get more lines that are adapted to special interests is a good supplement to the standard lines we have, she says. Can be applied for in March 2024 The Directorate of Education is currently fine-tuning the proposal for the curriculum together with the industry and the parties in working life. Senior advisor Carine Gronholz says the subject will end up under technology and industrial subjects, which is one of the ten vocational programs in upper secondary school. NEW SUBJECT: Knowledge of bicycle repair has always been based on practice in the industry. Soon it will become a separate profession on the same lines as car mechanics. Photo: TOM NICOLAI KOLSTAD / news Bicycle mechanics will – in line with, for example, car mechanics – get two years of school and two years of teaching in a company. – Carrying out repairs has become more advanced. Electric bikes can mean higher speeds. For reasons of safety, quality-assured expertise has also become more relevant, says Gronholz. She believes that many of today’s bicycle repairers can become the first to take a vocational certificate. They can take a journeyman test based on their experience. This winter, the proposal will go out for three months of consultation. The offer can then be in place in the autumn of 2024, with an application deadline of March next year.
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Planning vocational certificate for bicycle mechanics – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
