Progression at SERC Helps Eimear to Develop Her Business

Eimear McCarthy, who’s 21 and from Kircubbin, has been running her own bakery business for some years, but she says the teaching and support services at South Eastern Regional College (SERC) have helped her take her enterprise to the next level.  

Eimear is studying for a Foundation Degree in Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management (validated by Ulster University), having progressed through Level 2 and Level 3 courses. Her next step will be to complete the full degree at UU.  She says, “I was at school in Portaferry and after GCSEs (which I didn’t actually sit because of Covid!) I knew I wanted something vocational, and with a focus on coursework rather than exams.  We’d done an after-school course with one of the hospitality tutors from SERC, so I already had a good impression, and I knew other people who had studied there and who recommended the college. So I checked out what was available at SERC Downpatrick Campus at an open evening, and while discussing options with the tutors there, the bakery course in Bangor was mentioned. 

“I could get there from where I live on the Ards peninsula and it was very relevant to what I wanted to do.  So I came to SERC Bangor Campus and gained a Level 2 Diploma in Professional Bakery and then a L3 Diploma in Patisserie and Confectionery.”  

Already a keen cook, Eimear was running a business called Eimear Bakes alongside her course from the beginning - and she says SERC has been invaluable in helping this side of her life: “Outside my course, I received mentoring and entrepreneurship help from SERC and I got help to revamp and relaunch the business. It brought everything up a level, and I developed from a 16-year-old making cakes to a professional baker and businesswoman. When my tutor suggested continuing at SERC with a Foundation Degree, I felt it would be useful as it covers running a business, and so it would deliver the right skills.” 

Eimear says she likes the small, friendly classes and appreciates the help and advice from her tutors.

She adds, “I like the practical elements such as hosting events. I hosted a Macmillan coffee morning and bake sale, and I knew it would be something I would be proud to do. I think corporate social responsibility is important, so it was on-brand for me and my baking business. We all get involved in each other’s events, to support your classmates and learn from that experience, too.  

“We get a work placement which will be good; even though everyone in the class is working in the industry in some way, this will build on our experience and introduce us to other aspects of the industry in a practical way.  

“I also got to go on a few trips - the travel opportunities are amazing! I have been three times: two weeks each to Valencia and Fuerteventura, and then to South Africa for three weeks! It’s given me a taste for travel and more than that, I now have connections in the industry in other countries, so I hope to work abroad after gaining my full degree.” 

Eimear concludes, “I would definitely recommend SERC for the community vibe and the feeling of belonging; it’s welcoming. Any class I have been in is small enough to get to know other students and get the support you need, and the teaching is more mentoring than lecturing. The transition to higher education was easy and as I have been at SERC for more than three years, I’ve built up relationships with students and staff and that is very valuable to me.”