CICLE
Comprehensive & Inclusive Cycle Logistics Education program
The CICLE program aims at supporting the development of cycle logistics in Europe by professionalising the training of bike couriers. The project focuses on the long-term development of a qualified training scheme and consequently the recognition of cycle logistics as a professional activity on the one side, and the inclusiveness of training programs on the other side.
PARTNERS
Project details
The cycle logistics sector has emerged rapidly and very organically in recent years, and its growth is unstructured, heterogeneous and sometimes improvised. In particular, there is still no European-wide recognized professional trainers or training for bike couriers, who typically learn on-the-job, nor is there a reference framework of skills shared by all actors in the sector. Consequently, access to this profession is often spontaneous, motivated by interest or knowledge in cycle logistics, and legitimised by the social category the candidate belongs to. The lack of sources of legitimacy results namely in an underrepresentation of certain minorities.
The project contains four work packages (excl. WP 1 project management - led by urbike). The second WP (in hands of Les boîtes à vélo) consists of an in-depth analysis of the sector, the existing training programs and the required competencies on the job. The third WP (led by Ecole des métiers à vélo) focuses on the construction of a competency matrix co-designed with several stakeholders across Europe, in order to link the profession to a well-defined set of skills and better recognised at European level.
The fourth WP (led by Bike Logic) aims at constructing inclusive promotion tools addressing the lack of diversity in the bike courier teams, by a better image and representation of the job. Lastly, the fifth WP (led by Pour la Solidarité) focuses on the dissemination of project deliverables among cycle logistics stakeholders and local and European authorities.
The project started on 01/10/2023 and lasts until 30/11/2025.
Project partners
CICLE is composed and led by a consortium of sector organisations and operational partners in cyclelogistics. Meet urbike, Les Boîtes à vélo, L’école de métier à vélo, Bike Logic and Pour la Solidarité.
L’Ecole des Métiers du Vélo (EMV) du Grand Paris is an association that aims to train people from different backgrounds with the necessary skills to work in the bicycle and reuse sector. The idea of a school dedicated to the learning of these skills emerged by Carton Plein, Etudes et Chantiers and La Petite Rockette. L’Ecole des Métiers du Vélo offers three training courses, leading to jobs in cyclo-logistics, mechanics and animation: 1) cyclo-logistician; 2) mechanic reuse cycle; 3) self-repair workshop facilitator.
Urbike is a Brussels based cycle-logistics cooperative. Urbike positions itself as a change accelerator in urban logistics. Good working conditions for bike courriers and adequate training is in the core of its mission and activities. Urbike has different training activities to companies, existing bike courriers and organised in 2023 the first professional training programme for the profession of bike courrier to a peloton of 12 unemployed.
Pour La Solidarité (PLS) is an independent European think & do tank committed to a sustainable Europe of solidarity, which works to defend and consolidate the European social model, a subtle balance between economic development and social justice. The PLS team, with its strong skills in research, consultancy, coordination of European projects and organisation of events, works in the public arena alongside businesses, public authorities and civil society organisations with the motto: Understanding in order to Act.
Les Boîtes à Vélo France is the French professional union of bicycle-based businesses. It was founded in 2019 and has close to 300 active members active in a wide variety of industries: cycle logistics, services, food, culture, cycle manufacturing, etc. Les boîtes à vélo encourages and sustains the development of bicycle entrepreneurship throughout France and across all industries. It aims to generalise the use of bicycles as an alternative to motor vehicles for transporting goods and people, in and around cities as well as rural areas.
Bikelogic is a cycle logistics cooperative based in Sant Cugat del Vallès (Spain). Bikelogic wants to be a transforming agent with an inclusive, fair and ethical labour model of business committed to the integration of people at risk of exclusion with a rate of 50% of their staff. Bikelogic has 5 staff members right now, and is growing in its 3 different business units (delivery, consulting and sales of material).
News
23-24.05.2024 Mobility Activity - Paris
🇪🇺 🚴♀️ Two days in Paris to work on the future of the bicycle courier profession in Europe 🚴♂️ 🇪🇺
On May 23 and 24, we met in Paris with the 5 European partners of our CICLE project. The program for our stay included workshops on the practice of the profession in Europe and the organization of training within the sector, which enabled us to lay the foundations for a common European skills reference framework for the bike courier profession.
Several field visits were also organized to various players in the Parisian cyclo-logistics sector, giving rise to rich exchanges and fascinating insights into the diversity of professional environments, types of structure, logistics activities and experiences in terms of courier training. Many thanks again to Carton Plein, SPRINGARE and Cargonautes for their warm welcome and the quality of the discussions!
02.11.2023 Kick-off WP2
Les boîtes à vélo kicked-off WP2 with all partners. On the programme for the next months: design the framework for qualitative interviews with sector representatives on their training and the required competencies on the job.
04.10.2023 Kick-off CICLE program
First time to gather the 5 project partners in a zoom meeting and discuss the vision, planning and collaboration methods of CICLE. We’re so happy to gather these strong consortium of operational players and experts in the field of cyclelogistics and training.
More soon!
Contact
Curious to know more about the project?
A question or suggestion for the project team?
Please write us at info@urbike.be