DIRTT Trail Building College Course - Register Interest Now!

• You - learn about sustainable trail building to increase your knowledge, to master the subject and to make yourself more employable.
• Employers - Have well trained, efficient employees who can increase quality and productivity on the jobsite.
• Stakeholders - Trail owners and operators recognise a quality, skilful and professional approach, this is particularly useful during a tender process where the client is choosing which trail specialist they should work with.
• Trail Building Industry - Becoming a recognised profession safeguards all of our futures.
• Specialists are recognised as being the ones to plan, design and implement mountain bike trails.
• An increase in professionality within our industry raises the level as a whole.

The study programme for Mountain Bike Trail Planning, Construction and Maintenance is targeted to the competence needs of the new and rapidly growing sector of mountain biking (MTB). The course awards 30 ECTS when successfully completed. The syllabus for the study can be found by clicking here.

The course is studied online with evening classes and tutorials scheduled online. However, during this study programme, you will be required to attend a total of four residential weeks. Two sessions (of one week) will be hosted in Geilo, Norway and one session (of two weeks) in Agueda, Portugal. The study programme is split into three main areas with studies related to the themes of;

1. Mountain bike trail building in society

2. Trail design

3. Construction

All study programs at Fagskolen i Viken are public funded through Viken county. Study material such as books, laptops, photocopying etc. must be covered by the student. In addition, you will need to pay a study fee for the course which is NOK 9000 per student for the year (=£766- at current exchange rates)

To be admitted into the course the applicant must hold a relevant trade or journeyman’s certificate, or relevant experience validated as prior learning. Trade or journeyman’s certificate that gives right for admission is educational programme in construction within the vocation of:

• Road and construction worker
• Construction vehicle/machinery operator
• Landscaper
• Road constructor and maintenance worker

Educational programme in Agriculture, fishing, and forestry within the vocation of Forestry worker or Gardener

Relevant work experience that may be validated as prior learning, minimum 5 years:

• Non-Certified experience from one of the above-mentioned vocations
• Trail building

Register through the application portal by clicking here. Be aware that a few details are in Norwegian - we recommend using a browser that will auto-translate the content (eg Google Chrome) To help you through the application process, here is a short guide on how to apply.

On acceptance, you will receive further information directly from the school.

Online

Most of the course will consist of online learning. The online sessions will largely be pre-recorded allowing students to access them online at time of their choosing. There will be a 2-hour lecture per week with additional time allocated for direct learning and feedback with course tutors each week.

Geilo, Norway

The Geilo campus of Fagskolen i Viken will play host to the first physical meeting of the students and tutors. With existing mountain bike trails to explore and assess and an abundance of mountain and forest terrain Geilo provides both outdoor and indoor learning opportunities. We will spend 1 week in Geilo in early September.

Agueda, Portugal.

Located 1 hour to the South of Porto International Airport the city of Agueda and the surrounding mountains offer our outdoor classroom and training centre. With 350m of elevation and 18,000 sqm of space to utilize the sessions in Agueda focus on vocational, real-world training where participants will construct and maintain trails. The location and weather allow for all year-round training, the perfect escape from the wet and cold winter in Northern Europe! Sessions are scheduled for two weeks per group of 10 students from January 2023.

Fagskolen i Viken Is located in Viken county and is Norway's largest public vocational college with over 2000 students and 240 staff, spread over eight campuses. We are a college for higher vocational education offering professional - and business-focused educational programmes within a wide range of subject areas.

Fagskolen i Viken has long traditions of educating professionals dated back to 1895 when Tinius Olsen founded a technical college in Kongsberg. In 2020, we became Fagskolen i Viken following a merge of four technical colleges. We are working together with the occupational sector to create and offer coveted education catering for the needs of the world of work.