All around the world, motorcyclists are something of a subculture. From L. A. to Luton, if you're a biker you'll have something in common with other motorcyclists. If you're a fanatic and you're looking for a career that involves your favourite pair of wheels then a motorcycle apprenticeship might be just what you're looking for.
If you're not familiar with how apprenticeships work, they're all about combining on the job training in a real workplace, earning a real wage, with academic learning in a college or specialist training institution. Typically apprentices spend the majority of time in the workplace, but go on day release to college to learn the theory involved in their trade, working towards work-based qualifications relevant to their industry.
If biking floats your boat, you'll be interested to know that some of the biggest name bike manufacturers offer motorcycle apprenticeships. Suzuki and Honda both teach apprentices what they need to know to work on maintaining and servicing their brand of motorcycles. Both companies have their own in-house training schemes and specific qualifications relevant only to their own branded products. This means you can work as a technician in any branch of either Suzuki or Honda dealerships anywhere in the country.
It's not just big-name manufacturers that run motorcycle apprenticeships though. You could be placed with a garage or mechanic who works with motorcycles or specialises in them. Again, you'd have some classroom training on day release and spend the rest of the week putting what you've learnt into practice - with the help of more experienced motorcycle technicians or mechanics.
If you're thinking about starting this type of apprenticeship, you'll need to be the kind of person who isn't afraid to get their hands dirty - literally. On most days you'll probably end up elbows deep in an engine or covered in oil. You need to be physically fit as there may be an element of heavy lifting and you generally need at least three A-C GCSEs. By the end of the apprenticeship you'll know all about how to diagnose problems and repair them, and be more than qualified to go into a job as a motorcycle technician or mechanic.
If you're not familiar with how apprenticeships work, they're all about combining on the job training in a real workplace, earning a real wage, with academic learning in a college or specialist training institution. Typically apprentices spend the majority of time in the workplace, but go on day release to college to learn the theory involved in their trade, working towards work-based qualifications relevant to their industry.
If biking floats your boat, you'll be interested to know that some of the biggest name bike manufacturers offer motorcycle apprenticeships. Suzuki and Honda both teach apprentices what they need to know to work on maintaining and servicing their brand of motorcycles. Both companies have their own in-house training schemes and specific qualifications relevant only to their own branded products. This means you can work as a technician in any branch of either Suzuki or Honda dealerships anywhere in the country.
It's not just big-name manufacturers that run motorcycle apprenticeships though. You could be placed with a garage or mechanic who works with motorcycles or specialises in them. Again, you'd have some classroom training on day release and spend the rest of the week putting what you've learnt into practice - with the help of more experienced motorcycle technicians or mechanics.
If you're thinking about starting this type of apprenticeship, you'll need to be the kind of person who isn't afraid to get their hands dirty - literally. On most days you'll probably end up elbows deep in an engine or covered in oil. You need to be physically fit as there may be an element of heavy lifting and you generally need at least three A-C GCSEs. By the end of the apprenticeship you'll know all about how to diagnose problems and repair them, and be more than qualified to go into a job as a motorcycle technician or mechanic.
About the Author:
You can read more about a motorcycle apprenticeship and all the other apprenticeships available at Notgoingtouni.co.uk. You'll also find more info and guidance about foundation degrees, gap years, voluntary work and sponsored degrees, as well as over 300 distance learning videos.
