Travel Course at SERC Takes Sharon Further than She Ever Expected

As a past student, Sharon McCartney always knew that SERC was a great place to learn, but the Lisburn woman says her latest study path at the College has taken her further than she imagined, in more ways than one. 

Sharon (30) has just completed the HNC in International Travel and Tourism and is looking forward to progressing in the industry, although initially she had taken a different direction: 

“I left school and didn’t know what to do.  I have taken courses at SERC in hospitality, and then in media as I had thought of a career in radio, but realised it wasn’t for me. I have worked in various jobs and volunteer roles, including working on HMS Caroline in Belfast but that job ended due to Covid. I am not one to sit at home doing nothing, and I had enjoyed working in the tourism field. I had already had a good experience of SERC, so I enrolled on a Level 3 qualification in Travel and Tourism at SERC Lisburn Campus.” 

Sharon was confident that SERC was the platform to achieve her goals, but she has actually gone further than she expected. She explains,   “I require learning support, and I knew the team at the college, and that was a big draw. The learning support service is fantastic, absolutely fantastic. The staff are the best people and they are great craic, too! I also knew many of the teachers, so having familiar faces was a plus.   

“The Level 3 course gave me a general grasp of the tourism industry and I realised this is it, this is what I want to do, so I progressed to the HNC. I had never thought I would go into Higher Education; when I was at school, university wasn’t for me – but life changes! My aim is to do a foundation degree and I want to go into events management.” 

Sharon made the most of every opportunity offered at SERC, in and out of the classroom. She says,

“When I started Level 3, I got involved in the Student's Union and became an officer for disability -  and I even got an award for that. I also got involved in the Eco Club. As part of the course, I had a four-week work placement with Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council that helped me get to know what kind of jobs and companies are available in the industry. I also got on the Erasmus programme – that’s the Turing programme now – and I was able to go to Tenerife, to a specialist centre to learn about marketing. Tutors there were just as lovely as they are in SERC! It was fantastic. I would recommend people take advantage of these opportunities.” 

Sharon will be sorry to move on from SERC and has clear advice for anyone exploring their next steps: 

“I would definitely recommend SERC! Don’t doubt what you are able to achieve; go in and talk to the staff and if you need further help, talk to Learning Support. The tutors at SERC are people who have been in the industry who then became teachers and lecturers in their field, educating the next generation in that career.  People are there to help you succeed.” 

#unlock your future: enrol for Higher Education at SERC on Thursday 17 and Friday 18 August at Bangor, Downpatrick, Lisburn and Newtownards Campuses.