Civil Engineering Course Paves Way to Success for Scott

Level 3 Diploma in Civil Engineering for Technicians (Institution of Civil Engineers) student Scott Mairs (26) from Lisburn, is gaining the skills he needs to progress his career through his SERC course.  

After completing his GCSEs and A Levels at Laurelhill Community College, Scott tried to find a career path that was right for him. After working in several areas, Scott secured a job with the Civil Service, now working for the Department for Infrastructure as a Roads Consultant, and his employer is now putting him through his Civil Engineering course at SERC. Scott was only too happy to study at SERC, as he had previously completed photography courses at the college and loved studying on campus.  

Scott says, “On the course you are primarily learning about how to design and engineer buildings. So far, we have learnt about different forms of construction and the elements of building foundations, the materials used in construction such as brickwork and steelwork, drainage, and we have touched on aspects of architecture too. I find learning the course material very straightforward – all the information you are given is easy to learn and logical – I can really see how it all fits together in the wider concept of Civil Engineering, which is down to just how good the tutors are at teaching the topics.”  

“The facilities we learn in are great and we have access to all the specialist programs we need, like Autodesk Revit, which allows us to virtually design buildings on computers. The students themselves are interesting to talk to and learn from as well - we are all from different job roles, some from different Civil Service departments and others from private companies; but we all learn the same information in class, which speaks to how broadly applicable civil engineering skills are.” 

“As a Roads Consultant, I primarily oversee road surfacing and other maintenance tasks; because of work and other responsibilities, full-time learning just isn’t something I can do, so studying part-time on this course has been really valuable. I feel like it’s opened a lot of doors for me, whether that be studying civil engineering at a higher level or helping me progress to a higher position within my current job.” 

Scott concludes, “If you are thinking about doing this course and have any interest at all in civil engineering or working with infrastructure, just do it. I’ve really enjoyed the course so far - I feel like for the first time in my education I’m learning something that’s going to really help me achieve a career.”   

SERC offers real learning for real life. Applications are still open, and places are still available on some courses commencing September 2025.