FRISCO, Colo. -- Using bicycles and bicycle mechanics as a conduit to teach core academics, enhance lives, create career opportunities and inspire new generations to be passionate about bikes, Project Bike Tech has expanded its footprint in 2023 with the addition of 12 new classrooms and a new state, bringing the number of states that feature Bike Tech in School classrooms in their high schools to an even dozen.
"I'm proud of our work so far," said Mercedes Ross, Executive Director for Project Bike Tech. "But we're not done yet. We have ample proof of concept: Project Bike Tech teaches key academic concepts and STEM, provides a stepping-stone to a multitude of professional careers and fosters a lifelong engagement with the outdoor recreation industry. Now we're looking to expand our reach to help as many kids as possible as they start to navigate their way into adulthood. We've had a great start—we're in 12 states so far, with 38 current classrooms, and projecting 40 or more over this school year, but our goal is to cover the whole country with PBT classrooms."
The first high school bicycle education program of its kind, Project Bike Tech in School is an accredited high-school elective that uses bicycle mechanics as a conduit to teach Common CORE and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) elements to students. Consisting of over 200 hours of intensive classroom instruction, Project Bike Tech also incorporates career-building skills and techniques as a component of its classes, so students leave the program knowing the basics of portfolio building, resume writing and interview tactics. Participants receive two certificates, one in career tech endorsed by CTE, and the other as an entry-level bicycle mechanic/assembler endorsed by the bicycle industry.
2023 will mark the first year Project Bike Tech has introduced classrooms into high schools in New Jersey, which joins Arizona, California, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont and West Virginia in featuring the PBT program.
ABOUT PROJECT BIKE TECH
Founded in 2007 in Santa Cruz, California, Project Bike Tech developed the UC-accredited college-and-career-ready class, Bike Tech in School, that uses bicycle mechanics as a conduit to teach Common CORE and STEM elements to high school students. Bike Tech in School is a college-and-career-ready class that teaches students the necessary skills to work as a professional bicycle mechanic and provides a stepping stone to a multitude of cycling industry careers. The PBT curriculum also incorporates employment preparation activities, including resume writing, interview tactics, portfolio building, and workplace safety. Project Bike Tech is a thriving program that has successfully impacted more than 5,000 high school students in Arizona, California, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont and West Virginia.
