Biking's future | First cohort of SuperBike Factory apprentices get ready for full-time biking employment

Used motorcycle specialists, SuperBike Factory are attempting to future-proof the success of the business with a rigorous new technical apprentice programme devised in partnership with Nottingham College, including both practical and classroom facilities on site.

Established back in 2022, the scheme’s first cohort of eight students are now sitting their final assessments before applying to the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) Professional Register to establish themselves as fully qualified technicians. They were joined by a further 12 students in the autumn of that same year, with a third run of 10 apprentices expected to start in September 2024.

“We found we had to do it because there was a lack of a structured training career path into the industry,” SuperBike Factory CEO, Edward Armitage told MCN.

“Technicians are absolutely key to what we do and it’s the lifeblood of our industry. Without them we can’t prepare bikes – used or new for that matter. It just doesn’t work and what we found is if you are interested in bikes, it’s quite hard to find a route into this industry without help.”

The training focuses on maintenance and servicing and is carried out in partnership with Nottingham College’s Emtec division. Rather than travel to Notts though, it’s all based at the firm’s Cheshire facility.

Here, they have dedicated learning facilities and teaching from Head of Technical Development, Paul Turner.

“We spoke with Nottingham College who originally used to run an apprenticeship scheme,” SuperBike Operations Director, Guy Burges told MCN.

“We could offer them the facility and we needed technicians, and we wanted to take that journey and turn them into home-grown talent and get them from the very early stages.”

The creation of a dedicated learning area was made possible by the 40,000sqft of operational space on the site. The Cheshire operation also sees the largest volume of stock passing through, giving students the widest variety of motorcycles to work on in a practical environment.

So far, apprentices have ranged from 18- to 25-years-old, with 50% of the first batch being female. According to the team, the applications already received for the incoming third cohort also offer a healthy split between the genders.

“They’re working on a Fireblade in the morning, and they’re onto a 2001 Bandit in the afternoon, to a KTM Super Duke the morning after,” Burges added. “But because we’ve got such a structured matrix of learning, they’ll start new, and as they progress through they will get the more advanced work.”

Rather than attending Nottingham College, pupils are taught the academic side of the course on site by a specialist tutor, who attends twice a week.

Speaking about the education incentive, Motorcycle Industry Association CEO, Tony Campbell commented: “The SuperBike Factory activity couldn’t be more positive. The are making an effort to make their own business more sustainable.”

● Contact recruitment@superbikefactory.co.uk if you want to get involved or know someone who would benefit from training.