Yes, it is that time of year. The time you have been waiting for. Well, if you are a high school student in the Detroit area that wants to become a bicycle mechanic, educator and coordinator that is.
MECHANIC-IN-TRAINING APPLICATIONS ARE NOW AVAILABLE!!!
What does that even mean? Well, the Mechanic-in-Training (MIT) program is for high school youth aged 14-17. We take applications in the month of May, interview those that make the cut at the end of the month and then in the beginning of June, we hire a select few to work for Back Alley Bikes for the summer. This is a paid apprenticeship.
You can download an application here or come to our Open House on Saturday, April 27th to pick one up in person and meet the Back Alley Bikes staff (get your foot in the door literally and figuratively).
What the summer ends up looking like for MIT students:
The MIT students start with classroom time learning all of their mechanical skills. In this fast paced environment, a teacher keeps the students on task because at the end of each week they will practice teaching other youth those skills during our Youth Drop-In/Youth Earn-a-Bike time.
After five weeks of mastering their mechanic skills and getting practice teaching other youth, the MIT students enter the second phase of the summer. At this point, the classroom time ends and that time is split between working at The Hub of Detroit and helping with other Back Alley Bikes programming. Their teaching shifts on the weekend continue the rest of the summer.
What comes next for the MIT students? Some have come back to work at Back Alley Bikes or The Hub of Detroit. Others have gone to work at other area shops like The Wheelhouse and American Cycle & Fitness. In 2013 we took our first set of MIT students to the Youth Bike Summit in New York City.
So see you at the Open House? Good. Applications are due May 20th!