Reece Builds Towards University on Mechatronics Course

Mechatronics apprentice Reece Mallon, (21, Dromore), is forging his way towards university while studying at SERC. 

After completing his GCSEs at Dromore High, Reece decided to look for another education pathway apart from his A Levels, as he wasn’t particularly interested in A Level subjects. Reece started studying at SERC in 2020 on the Level 3 National Extended Diploma Engineering course, before moving onto his current course – an Ulster University Foundation Degree in Mechatronic Engineering, which he is completing as part of a Higher Level Apprenticeship in Mechatronics. 

Reece says, “The thing that I enjoy the most about SERC is the support you have inside and outside of the classroom. You can ask your tutor as many questions as you want and even if they don’t know the answer directly, they can point you in the direction of someone who does. I found that this made it easier to learn the course material, along with the tutors being people that come from the engineering industry that have real work experience - not just theoretical knowledge.” 

“For the apprenticeship aspect of my course, I’ve been out working with Dental Medical Ireland based in Lisburn, who supply the consumables and equipment for surgeries in the area. Currently I am working as a digital engineer for dental practices – being on site installing and maintaining equipment and software such as x-rays is what I usually do. It’s great practical experience.” 

On his future plans, Reece comments, “At the minute, I'm applying to complete a degree at Ulster University, I originally wasn’t going to, but the foundation degree at SERC gets you well prepared for studying a degree at uni. Once I complete my foundation degree at SERC, I think I'll have enough basic knowledge to go into university, learn more, and be mature enough to dedicate myself to the work required.” 

Reece concludes, “I would recommend SERC to anyone considering the college. It depends on the person in question, but if they are anything like me who knows a specific area they are interested in studying, SERC would be the far better option rather than going to do A-Levels in my opinion. My course has benefitted me even more than I originally expected, and there are quite a few people I know that would say the same about their courses they completed at SERC. I think my course is brilliant. You definitely get out what you put in; the more work you do in class, the better your marks are going to be, and that will only be of benefit to you in the long run.”   

Apply now for courses commencing September 2025.  Come along to our full-time open evening from 4.00pm – 7.00pm on Thursday 6 March at our Bangor, Downpatrick, Lisburn and Newtownards Campuses.