A DAY IN THE LIFE - TRAINEE COORDINATOR
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Ever wondered what it's like to work at Frontline Bikes? In this 'Day in the Life' series, our team talk us through when they joined the social enterprise and what their role involves.
Ger McBrearty has been a member of the team at Frontline Bikes since before the shop on Emmet Road in Inchicore even opened its doors.
Ger began as a trainee mechanic in the shop, but his wide range of skills - gained over years working in various roles from labourer to running his own plastering business - quickly became evident. As a result, he took on more responsibilities and now holds the dual role of Trainee Coordinator and Bike Shop Manager.
In 2020 Ger completed a level 7 in Addiction Studies, and this supports the work that he does with trainees in Frontline Bikes cycle mechanics training programme. This was his first time returning to education since leaving school at the age of 12.
Trainees in the cycle mechanics programme often come from backgrounds that include addiction, imprisonment, or long-term unemployment. Ger's ability to empathise and share his own lived experience helps them see the possibility of change and find a path forward in their own lives.
Ger’s role is incredibly varied with no day being the same, other than the familiar daily tasks of pulling up the shop’s shutters each morning and putting out the upcycled bikes on the footpath for sale. His role as a Trainee Coordinator involves doing outreach to local services, to let them know about the training programme and taking care of the referral process and new trainees. As bike shop manager, Ger does everything from greeting customers, to ordering bike parts and coordinating customer’s bike repairs.
Under Ger’s guidance, the bike shop has become a welcoming place, and he is a familiar and friendly face to many in the Inchicore area.