Joinery Students showcase skills at SERC Open Day

On Wednesday March 6, SERC’s recent full-time open day welcomed hundreds of prospective students and their parents through the doors of SERC’s main campuses in Bangor, Downpatrick, Lisburn and Newtownards.  

SERC’s annual open day is the ideal opportunity to meet our fantastic lecturers, try out our interactive activities and check out the wide range of courses on offer.  

As part of the open day activities four students from Lisburn campus Carpentry and Joinery courses competed in an in-house Skillbuild competition to showcase their skills.  

Those competing where Carpentry & Joinery - Apprenticeship NI (Level 3) student Matthew Patterson, Carpentry & Joinery - Apprenticeship NI (Level 2) students David Fairley and Jason Cosgrove and Carpentry & Joinery - Skills for Work (Level 2) student Harry McNeill.   

These students were selected to take part as they had recently placed in the annual inter-campus Skillbuild competition. This event is designed to test and challenge the ability of its apprentices working in the construction trades including, joinery, plastering and carpentry.

The friendly competition was organised using same rules and timescales as the Skillbuild competition to prepare those who have qualified for the next round and to help runners-up improve their skills for future competitions.   

Rodney McKee, SERC Lecturer in Wood Occupations said, “The competition went very well and proved to be of great interest especially to the parents on their visit to the joinery workshops. It was a great opportunity for perspective students to see first-hand the skill and talent our students possess. The event was a key insight to the skills future students would gain and a chance to hear about the range of competitions and work experience on offer to our current students”.  

Didn’t make it to our open day? It’s not too late to apply! Applications for all full-time courses are available online and our free, impartial careers service team are on hand in all main campuses to help you find the perfect course to fit your aspirations.