Jack Hannon (17) from Dunmurry, progressed to South Eastern Regional College (SERC) after completing his GCSEs in St Colm’s. The young man is now in the second year of the Level 2 Traineeship in Retail at the college’s Lisburn Campus.
Jack said, “I was keen to progress after my GCSEs, so I went along to an open day and found out about different courses that might be open to me. I thought there would be a bit more variety and choice at SERC, and at that stage, I was interested in several courses. The retail course caught my attention because I thought it could lead onto different pathways."
Jack is on placement one day each week at Action Cancer in Lisburn. He said, “My placement involves putting out stock and sorting donations, working on the till, serving customers and dealing with enquiries. I am still learning. The work on the till is all new to me, but I am willing to learn, and the staff are very helpful. Generally, I am enjoying the placement. What we are doing on the course is useful for my placement and all the activities on the placement are helpful for the course."
He added, “In the Level 2 Traineeship in Retail, you learn about different kinds of retail, and at the minute we are covering working with chilled goods. The first year is a bit more practical and in the the second year, you cover more theory. As part of the course I am also doing Essential Skills numeracy."
Jack continued, “I would recommend the Retail Traineeship as it gives you the fundamentals of retail and you will cover everything from merchandising to window displays and health and safety.
“The best part of the course has been meeting new people. I have made some great friends in college. The course has been fun. but I am learning at the same time and there is plenty of variety to keep me interested. As a class, we also took part in the student fairs at Lisburn Campus where we planned and organised a stall and sold things from Action Cancer to raise funds for the charity.”
Jack concluded, “After this course, I am thinking of doing another course and I am currently looking at different trades. I am more of a practical person and like to learn by doing things.”
Apply now for courses commencing September 2026. Come along to our Full-Time and Part-Time Open Evening on Thursday 4 June 2026 at our Bangor, Downpatrick, Lisburn and Newtownards campuses from 5pm - 8pm.
