On Monday 12th April South Eastern Regional College (SERC) opened the doors to its new Lisburn campus, marking a new chapter in its rich history. The new state-of-the-art campus spans 14,200 square meters and is located on Castle Street in the heart of Lisburn city centre.
The £20 million investment houses a world class technical skills centre, workshops, a fitness suite, industry specific science laboratories, fully equipped IT suite, commercial restaurant and hairdressing and beauty therapy salon. The facilities combined with the expertise of College staff ‘future proofs’ SERC’s vision to become one of the top 20 colleges in the world.
The investment in the new premises and high-tech equipment reflects the growing role of the College within the community and the ongoing commitment to provide the best possible learning environment and opportunities for all.
Ken Webb, Principal and Chief Executive of South Eastern Regional College had this to say; “We are delighted with the new campus and hope it does our forefathers such as Cecil Webb and Richard Wallace proud. We have strong roots in Lisburn, working with industry and delivering the skills the local people need to secure jobs. Our aim is to continue with this, delivering high quality, innovative training and encouraging our students as enterprising as previous names like Ferguson.”
Lisburn man Gary Chambers, Contracts Manager for SERC managed the new build process from start to finish. A past student of the College Gary was on site from the first sod was cut and insisted that he laid the first brick on the new one – demonstrating the many skills he learnt during his time studying construction at the College during the 1980’s!
Gary commented, “I am proud to have been involved in this project and pleased to see it completed.
A lot of hard work went into this project to ensure the building was open on time. On Friday 9th April the reception area was still being plastered yet on Monday morning we were welcoming staff and students through the doors!”
Constructed in Lisburn for the people of Lisburn, the College prides itself on an ‘open house’ policy. With this in mind guided tours of the new campus will be held every Thursday from 29th April until the end of June commencing from 10am for 2 hours. Tours are open to all however must be booked in advance by calling 028 9267 7225. During the tour you will be provided with a detailed insight into the new building and also given a history of Lisburn College dating back to the times of Richard Wallace and Cecil Webb and the inception of the College at the heart of Lisburn.