Brussels is seeing record numbers of cyclists, creating a record amount of work for bicycle repairers. With more vacancies than candidates, sports store chain Decathlon is joining forces with the Milocs training centre to train Brussels residents to become bicycle repairers – for free.
As the number of cyclists in Brussels continues to increase (7% more in 2023 than in 2022), more repairs are needed as well. Taking into account the more difficult tasks due to electrification, bicycle repair in Brussels has become a bottleneck profession in recent years.
"There were initially only eight places available for the training, but more than 190 Brussels residents showed interest," said Laurens De Greef, who is responsible for workshops at Decathlon.
No-brainer
Decathlon and training centre Milocs in Evere organised a free training course last month, in which eight French-speaking Brussels residents were taught all the tricks of the trade in six weeks. In addition to the basics, the training also covered everything needed to deal with the latest electric bicycles.
The first training has not yet been completed, but Decathlon and Milocs have now already announced a second edition of the 'Bike Repair Academy,' said De Greef. "Organising a second edition is therefore a no-brainer."
"What also makes us very happy is that we are dealing with a diverse group, both men and women with different ethnic backgrounds," he said. "The average age is between 30 and 45 years, which shows that these are people who already have work experience, but consciously choose a career change to become a bicycle repairer."
Credit: Decathlon/Victoria Moor
After their training, all repairers do an internship in a Decathlon store. If they also complete this successfully, they will take another final exam and those who pass can start working in one of the 33 Decathlon stores if they meet all the requested criteria.
This is possible, for example, in Evere (Brussels), where there are currently three jobs opening for bicycle repairers.
