I have some considerable experience of teaching and running courses for mechanics and technicians in the UK's further education sector.

If you research on line you should be able to find a FE college near to where you live that will be running a course for beginners. Full time courses usually start in September, although you may find some colleges will have now have start dates thought the year. The course will be about 20 hours a week, comprising of a mixture of practical experience in a workshop and underpinning knowledge in the classroom. Most candidates will be successful and gain a level 1 qualification. You should then be able to progress to L2 & 3 over the following years. L3 should allow you to apply for study for a suitable course at foundation degree level if you want it.

In my opinion just doing a college course will not provide you with enough experience to be able to obtain employment, since the simulated work done in a college workshop alone does not usually provide the same kind of experience and skills necessary to be able to earn a living by working for an employer. Therefore you would be wise to seek out a bike shop that would take you on (maybe an internship) during your spare time away from the course, which will provide the real life background required to round off your training.

If you have difficulty in finding a course, get back to me and I will put you in touch with a college. But bear in mind I will be off travelling in about 5 weeks so you need to do it before I go, or otherwise, after the middle of August.

All the best, Guy