Mechanics In Training

2013 applications are available now and due MAY 20th.
Click here to download the application

Mechanics in Training is a paid internship program for High School youth aged 14-18.  Participants gain valuable mechanical training, as well as job skills, in a real-world climate where both are at a premium. These goals are achieved by the youth having a dedicated supervisor at Back Alley Bikes take them through classroom time before the students work as staff in both our programming and on the shop floor at The Hub of Detroit.

Our 2013 Mechanic-in-Training program is funded in part by City Connect Detroit’s Grow Detroit’s Young Talent program. As part of the program, all applicants in 2013 must be residents of the City of Detroit to be eligible.

Eligible youth are encouraged to apply each spring in May.  The interviewing and hiring process then occurs before school gets out in June when the program begins.  The program runs all summer until school begins again in September. Mechanics in Training will work about 10-15 hours each week and work on Saturdays is a must.

Na’eemah Faison, 2010 Mechanic-in-Training, had this to say about her experience as an MIT:

“In the summer of 2010 I was privileged to be apart of the Mechanics in Training program. The Mechanics in Training program allows you to be opened to the unknown complexities of bikes. The M.I.T program gave me an opportunity to meet new people and find my hidden love for bikes. I learned more about bikes within several weeks than most people learn in their whole lives. I found out how non functional a bike could be when it is missing 1 piece that does not seem so essential. The program also taught me that bike riding is not only a hobby for some but a lifestyle for most. Being apart of the M.I.T program opened my eyes to a whole new world. That is the world of bikes.”