Better health training

We offer work skills training placements for those who are out of work, or in jobs that they do not enjoy, and struggle with their mental health. Download and share our flyer here.

Our service

We run 12-week training placements in our social enterprises, Better Health Bikes and Better Health Products, to help build employment skills and provide routes into work.

Our placements are for adults who are out of work, or in jobs that they do not enjoy, and are struggling with their mental health.   

You can take a look at our flyer here.

What can I expect?

What we offer: Our training placements are one 5-hour shift a week for 12 weeks. Alongside the role itself, which will cover all the basics of bike maintenance, you will set personal and professional goals, for example, to develop workplace skills, learn something new, or increase your confidence.  

Over the course of the placement, you will have regular one-to-one sessions to help you get the most out of your training. In these sessions, we will reflect on your experiences and progress against your goals, discuss any areas that you feel you need additional support with, and signpost you to other services as needed. 

Who our service is for: Our placements are for adults (18+) who are out of work, or in a job that they do not enjoy, and are struggling with their mental health.   

The application process: Following application (see ‘How can I apply’) we will invite you to visit our enterprises to meet the team, ask any questions you may have, and discuss your motivations for applying. We then invite you in for a taster session so you can get a sense of how we work, what the people are like, the physicality of the role and the environment we work in. If the taster goes well, we will make a mutual decision to start the placement as soon as possible. 

Qualifications and employability support: Towards the end of your placement, we will discuss what you want to go on to do next and we will support you to make the connections that you need to help make this a reality. This might include putting you in touch with local bike shops, helping you to sign up to a City and Guilds course in bike maintenance, or referring you to an employability service to get help with your CV or applying for jobs.  

To learn more about some of the benefits of our training placements, read the external evaluation that we commissioned.

How can I apply? 

For further information or to request an application form (either for yourself or someone that you’re working with), please write to training@centreforbetterhealth.org.uk.

While you are waiting for us to review your application, you may like to take a look at our other services, including creative and therapeutic courses to support well-being and low-cost counselling.

How much does it cost? 

• For City and Hackney residents who are receiving treatment from the East London Foundation Trust, we can apply for a Personal Health Budget (PHB) to cover the placement cost.

• For City and Hackney residents who are aged 18-25 and part of our Pathways to Better Health service, we can apply for a PHB to cover the placement cost.

• Individuals applying through a service or organisation that is supporting them are asked to explore funding options through that service or organisation. Where full-cost recovery is not possible, we offer placements at a subsidised cost.

• We offer a limited number (two per quarter) of funded places for individuals who are not eligible for a PHB, or who cannot get funding through their referring service or organisation. We assess an individual’s suitability for a funded place based on the extent to which a training placement will support them to reach their personal and professional goals.

Hear from two of our past trainees at Better Health Bikes and the Better Health Bakery