It is official: Spain will have vocational training to become a bicycle mechanic

The bicycle sector will for the first time have an official professional training program specifically designed to prepare specialized mechanics. The Council of Ministers has approved the creation of the Medium Degree Professional Specialization Course in Integral Assembly and Maintenance of Bicycles and Personal Mobility Vehicles, a qualification that aims to respond to the growing demand for qualified technicians in workshops, stores, and manufacturers.

The Government greenlights the first official vocational training for bicycle mechanics in Spain

The new program will have 690 hours of duration and will allow training professionals capable of working with both conventional and electric bicycles, as well as other personal mobility vehicles, such as electric scooters. The measure is pending its final publication in the Official State Gazette (BOE), where all the details of its implementation will be specified.

A historic step to professionalize the sector

The approval of this specialization puts an end to a demand that the industry has been raising for years. The rapid technological evolution of bicycles, especially with the rise of eBikes, has increased the need for personnel with specific knowledge in electronics, diagnostics, assembly, and advanced maintenance.

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The project began to take shape in 2021 and has been developed jointly by the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training, and Sports and the Association of Brands and Bicycles of Spain (AMBE), with the collaboration of the Maristak Vocational Training Center in Durango and the participation of numerous representatives from across the value chain of the sector during the public consultation process.

A training adapted to current bicycles

The content of the new course will go far beyond traditional mechanics. Among the expected competencies are:

• Maintenance and diagnostics of electric bicycles
• Repair and adjustment of conventional bicycles
• Assembly of components and transmission
• Work with cargo bikes and other personal mobility vehicles
• Ergonomics applied to cycling
• Regulations on road safety and sustainable urban mobility

The goal is to prepare professionals capable of facing the technical challenges of an industry that has evolved rapidly over the last decade.

A demand that the sector has been claiming for years

From AMBE, they believe that the new qualification will fill a training gap that limited the growth of many companies.

Its president, Íñigo Isasa, has valued the approval as “a collective achievement of the sector, the result of much work since 2021”, and has highlighted that the growth of electric bicycles and digitalization had turned the lack of specialized technicians into an increasingly urgent need.

More job opportunities and greater collaboration with companies

The new specialization also aims to bring Vocational Training closer to the business fabric, facilitating internships in workshops and companies in the sector and adapting the content to the real needs of the market.

According to AMBE, this training will help improve the quality of after-sales service, create a network of qualified professionals, and strengthen the competitiveness of an industry that already generates more than 24,000 jobs in Spain. The association also believes it can become a support for future reindustrialization processes and to promote the national manufacturing of bicycles.

The creation of this vocational training is part of the package of measures approved by the Government to strengthen the quality of Vocational Training, which includes an investment of 31.3 million euros aimed at innovation projects, teacher training, student mobility, and collaboration between educational centers and companies.

What the new vocational training for bicycle mechanics will offer

• Official Medium Degree Vocational Training qualification
• Duration of 690 hours
• Training in conventional and electric bicycles
• Specialization in assembly, diagnostics, and maintenance
• Content on personal mobility, ergonomics, and road safety
• Greater connection between vocational training centers and companies in the sector