Learning Never Stops with Adult Education at SERC

Hundreds of people head to South Eastern Regional College (SERC) each year to undertake part-time courses.  Our programmes have been created to help adults transform their future by returning to education, retraining or upskilling their strengths, improving their CV and helping them continue their learning in a flexible format which fits around everyday life.

Ken Webb, Principal and Chief Executive of SERC said, “Every year, we hear amazing real-life stories from our students on how their return to education has transformed their lives. The first step is realising that you can do whatever you put your mind to, and we at SERC are here to give you the support you need in order to do that.”

SERC offers a variety of adult education courses for you to study:  

• You can restart your education with Restart Lite, designed to get you back into education; our Access Level 3 Diploma in Foundation Studies can help you on to higher education or university, with access to creche facilities if you study at our Newcastle Campus.
• Further Education courses can help you gain recognition for your existing skills or get the skills and knowledge necessary to get back into employment, to retrain or to climb the job ladder. From a Level 2 Award in Interior Design to Level 3 Award in Working with Children and Young People with Special Needs, from a Certificate in Fitness Instruction to an Award in Tour Guiding; from Introduction to Games Development to Irish, French, Spanish or Italian at a range of levels, to English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), there are courses suitable for all students aged 16 and over.
• Higher Education (HE) courses at SERC leads you to a recognised and respected qualification. With subjects from IT to Health and Social Care to Construction covering vocational and professional skills, there’s bound to be something to set you on your chosen path.
• Upskill on one of our many courses for business and industry, from Level 3 in Payroll for Business or a professionally recognised course such as CMI Chartered Manager, to Level 4 Advanced Automotive Diagnostic Techniques or a Level 4 Diploma in Spa and Salon Management.
• Our leisure hobby courses mean you are also able to study at SERC just for fun on a range of courses including leisure ceramics, life drawing, photography, holiday languages and bread baking. There is something for everyone at SERC.

SERC has a range of support mechanisms in place to help overcome any barriers to education that people may face. SERC’s Careers team are available to talk about programmes and the support the College can offer, and our Student Finance team can offer guidance on financial support for part time learners.

All part-time students have access to student support through  pastoral care, student carers support and automatically become a member of SERC’s Student Union on enrolling at the College.

Lynne McCabe (main picture above, centre) from Dromore, returned to SERC to complete a Level 2 Award in Interior Design.   She said, “I run two guest houses, Ralph’s in Moira and Lisnacurran in Dromore, so interiors are an important part of what I do for my business.   Coming back to do the course has increased my confidence and equipped me with new skills and experience, which I am already putting to use for work on a new guest house I am currently designing called Arthur’s in Moira.”

Victoria Craig, from County Down was delighted to discover how far a course at SERC could take her: “I carried the idea of going to university with me for years. But taking that first step in through the doors of SERC was what made it possible. I would encourage anyone who is thinking of what they could have achieved - if they had had the opportunity - to take that first step back into education with Restart or Access.”  

Enrol now for a part-time course  as learning never stops with SERC. #BetterOffAtSERC.