Emily Kelly (17), from Saintfield, progressed to South Eastern Regional College (SERC) from St. Colman’s High School in Ballynahinch. She is currently completing a Level 2 Traineeship in Maintenance Operations (Construction).
Emily said, “I was doing my GSCEs in St Colman’s but struggled with the exams. I personally prefer hands-on learning. I knew that I wanted to move on from school and do more practical subjects, and moving to SERC meant I had more opportunity for learning in a way that suited me.
“Alongside the Level 2 Traineeship in Maintenance Operations (Construction), I was able to complete Essential Skills in Numeracy which will allow me to progress.” “I found out about courses at SERC by coming along to the open day with my mum. I had looked at different courses including electrical and construction courses.
“Since I am more of a practical person, I don’t mind getting my hands a bit dirty and I have enjoyed the variety offered through the Construction Maintenance course. Over one year we covered joinery, plastering - which I really enjoyed - plumbing and carpentry. We spend several weeks covering one area before we move on to the next subject."
Emily added, “I am the only female in my course, but there has never been any issue. I got along with the guys, and everyone on the course has been very nice, there’s good camaraderie in the class and the tutors are all very supportive.”
Speaking about making the transition from school to college, Emily said, “Settling into SERC was alright, there was a lot of support and help and you started off a good pace. Since I had come along for the open day I was also somewhat familiar with the building and I also knew some of the boys who had moved on from my school.”
Emily concluded, “After this course, I want to get into car mechanics and become a mechanical engineer. You don’t have to be afraid of taking this step, and if you like to do practical things, college is a good way to progress. The facilities are good and the tutors are supportive and they made challenging parts of the course easy. I was also able to avail of the of the support services at SERC, which were all easy to access.”
