We would like to offer a huge congratulations to Chris Jones at Decathlon Stockport, who has just become the first Decathlon employee to complete BOTH his Level 2 intermediate and Level 3 advanced cycle maintenance apprenticeships with us.
He has very kindly shared a brief summary of his apprenticeship journey with us:
“I started working in Decathlon Stockport in 2014 as a bike seller, with a view to learning more about bikes and how to fix them. I picked up a lot of the basics from my teammates, who were really helpful, and after a few years, my manager approached me with the possibility of becoming a fully qualified bike mechanic through a new government apprenticeship scheme.
I was enrolled on the intermediate course through the NVQ which involved theory and practical work as well as training and assessments in their Cytech workshop in Stafford. The practical assessments in particular were such an amazing experience – we worked on a variety of bikes and learned about everything in real depth. My building skills and technical knowledge expanded significantly, and I was able to pass on what I’d learned to the rest of my team in store. One of the best things I learnt from the whole course is the ‘bounce test’ – so simple, yet enormously effective as a diagnostic tool!
It means a lot to me that the company was willing to invest time and money in me so that I could advance as a person and an employee. I really enjoy passing on this knowledge and helping my colleagues improve as mechanics. The knowledge and confidence I have gained with bikes is really noticeable, and I think this comes across when communicating with customers on the shop floor. I would strongly recommend the apprenticeship to anyone who has an interest in bikes and a desire to further their knowledge and skills. The whole thing was a really positive experience. One thing I’ll take from it is that you never stop learning about bikes – even when you’ve qualified as a Master Mechanic!
I would like to thank my previous manager, Matt Smith, who hired me and enrolled me on the apprenticeship three years ago. I would also like to thank all my managers since who have encouraged me and been so understanding throughout my journey to become a Level 3 Cytech qualified Master Technician mechanic! A big thank you to Suzanne Read, who was my mentor from Activate Cycle Academy. She has been a constant source of knowledge, support and a real friend. I couldn’t have done so much of the course without her patience and desire to help with anything, bike related or personal. She is a real asset to Activate Cycle Academy.”
Following his recent Level 3 completion, Suzanne added “His course work has always been of good quality, his attitude and willingness to learn both a credit to himself and to the ethos of Decathlon, with completing his Level 3 Apprenticeship Chris is now officially a Cytech master technician mechanic.”
Decathlon UK added,
“We are thoroughly delighted that Chris has completed his Level 2 and Level 3 Advanced Cycle Maintenance Apprenticeships and we look forward to seeing our other apprentices following in Chris’ footsteps to become Cytech Master Mechanics. With the support of Activate Learning we will continue to invest in our teammates and their futures and we encourage anyone interested in a cycles apprenticeship with Decathlon UK to contact their nearest store for more information.”
This success story is a great example of how working for an employer who is prepared to support and invest time and money in training their staff can lead to a highly skilled, committed and fully engaged workforce.
If you are interested in finding out more about our cycle maintenance apprenticeships, either as an employer or as a potential apprentice, please get in touch. These apprenticeships are roll-on-roll-off in nature, so can be started at any time throughout the year and not tied to college term enrolments.
