Uniformed Protective Services Course Helps Rebekah Progress

After looking for a different pathway rather than staying on at school, SERC student Rebekah Baxter is working towards a career in the public services industry and has recently completed the Level 3 Extended Diploma in Uniformed Protective Services at the Bangor campus.

Rebekah, (18) from Belfast says, “I went to Grosvenor Grammar School in Belfast up until my GCSEs, and I found that the exam way of things wasn’t really suited to me. I wanted to look for a different pathway for A-Levels and knew that I wanted to go into the ambulance service. After my mum did some research, she found the Level 3 Extended Diploma in Uniformed Protective Services course at SERC Bangor, which we felt would be suited to me. I wasn’t able to attend the open evening, but my mum went in my place, and found that speaking to staff made it a lot easier to understand what the course entailed and how I could apply for it.

“Before I started the course, I felt anxious because I didn’t know anyone as I am from Belfast, but right from the start, I was made to feel welcome very quickly by everyone. Overall, my tutors were great and really helpful, and always did their best to give me as much help as they were allowed to with assignments.”

Speaking on her favourite area of the course, Rebekah says, “Although the course is mainly assignment based with a few exams, I feel like there are a lot of practical elements, which is something I liked. My first year in particular was very hands on, and we also did a lot of work with organisations such as Decorum NI; who helped give us an understanding of the Troubles and what it is like to work within the service. We also went on some class trips such as to Crumlin Road Gaol, which was really helpful and meant we had more to write about in our coursework assignments with real life examples.”

Speaking on SERC support services, she says, “A service I used a lot during the past year was the careers service. They were exceptional and helped me to apply to university and do a mock interview. They made the overall process of planning my next steps a lot easier, and the advisors were lovely!”

Concluding, Rebekah says, “At the moment I am keeping my options open, but I have applied for Paramedicine at a few Universities, with Ulster University as my preferred choice. If that doesn’t work out, I will probably re-apply next year, and I have considered applying for the PSNI as another option.

“The advice I would give to someone interested in doing this course would be to just go for it! There is a good environment at SERC so you will always be able to make friends, and you will be able to do well no matter what your ability. There are so many options for both further and higher education, and there are a lot of people in my class who have looked at courses to progress to higher education at SERC.”