Olyvia Condell, who is seventeen from Newtownards, is developing her media skills to become a professional through studying at SERC.
Olyvia came to SERC after completing her GCSEs at Glastry College. She decided to enrol at SERC as it was recommended to her by friends who told her it was the best pathway into a career, and also due to the college offering courses in media, which she was interested in studying full-time.
Olyvia started her journey at the SERC on the Level 2 Traineeship in Creative Media Production & Technology. She says, “We studied lots of different topics that all related to media; we learnt the basics of audio, video, photography, graphic design and motion graphics. I think the Level 2 helped me a lot because whenever the course was ending, I knew that I definitely wanted to do the Level 3 as I enjoyed the Level 2 so much and wanted to continue to develop my skills in creative media.”
After completing her Level 2 course, Olyvia started her current Level 3 Creative Media course; “I’m enjoying my current course a lot, it covers the same topics as the Level 2, but in more detail, so I felt very prepared going into the Level 3. I really enjoy working with a camera and learning how to do different techniques for photography and video. It’s an area I always wanted to study more in depth when I was in school, and now I get to study it in a learning environment I really enjoy.”
She concludes, “I would recommend SERC to anyone who’s considering studying at the college because there are great options for courses to study and excellent support for students; through Learning Support, I got extra aid for exam conditions and any other help I needed, and I passed the exams with their help. SERC’s given me a lot of skills and I want to continue to develop those and hopefully work in photography or video editing eventually. Overall, I think anyone who comes to study at SERC will enjoy it.”
Visit SERC open evening on Thursday 4 June to explore full-time and part-time courses starting in September 2026.
