SERC Business Course Sets Daragh and Zack on Track for University

Having looked for an alternative way ahead after leaving school, two young men have found that studying at SERC has set them on the right pathway for a future career.

Zack Kane, from Lisburn, and Daragh Suckling, from Moira, are progressing to university courses after completing the National Extended Diploma in Business at SERC Lisburn Campus.

Zack Kane, who’s 19, says his Business course at SERC perfectly met his needs for progressing to higher education. He researched the college when he was having doubts about his next steps after GCSEs. He explains,

“I could have gone back to school, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do A-Levels – I had picked three subjects, but I really wasn’t sure about two of them! I knew I had a passion for business, so when I looked at the SERC website and saw you could study a business course which is the equivalent of three A-levels, it sounded right up my street. I applied online and came down and met one of the tutors.”

Meeting staff and seeing the facilities persuaded Zack that SERC was the right choice for him. He says it was much more relaxed and flexible than school but all the same “they really make sure you keep on top of the work.”

“I would definitely recommend SERC. It’s like school in the ways you want it to be - and different in the ways you would want it to be, so it’s got everything you want and need.”

Eighteen-year-old Daragh Suckling has also just achieved his National Extended Diploma in Business. A SERC open evening during his final GCSE year showed him the opportunities available:

"At school, you are generally encouraged to stay on for A-Levels, but both my parents had been to the college, so they supported me and encouraged me to explore all my options.

“I had a keen interest in studying business, and I was thinking about Accountancy or Marketing for the future. When I investigated the course at SERC, I discovered that it covered both of these aspects of the business world. I also discovered that the course is a route to university through concentrating on a subject you are really interested in, so altogether I felt it was the right choice for me.”

Zack says at first, he didn’t quite know what to expect, but he quickly took to the style of learning at SERC and settled in, becoming class rep in his first year, and joining the college Entrepreneurs’ Club. He says project work has been a highlight of the course:

“In first year, we had a unit on managing an event, and we all enjoyed that, working inside and outside the classroom. A group of us formed a team to plan and host a fundraising afternoon tea, and we ended up presenting £950 to a local charity, which was very satisfying.”

Both young men commend the work placement element of the course, which Zack spent in a Management Consultancy, and Daragh with an Accountancy firm. They agree that the experience introduced them to diverse aspects of the business world and helped them in their career choices.

Zack has decided to focus on Accountancy and Marketing for the next stage of his education and has a place at Ulster University for September, leaving him with no doubt that he took the right route after leaving school:

“I was worried I wouldn’t be viewed the same as students with A-Levels, but it wasn’t a problem, and the tutors and especially the Careers Advisors at SERC were very helpful when it came to filling in the UCAS application and so on – the offers came in and I was very happy."

Daragh says he would recommend the course for the range of real-life challenges and activities it presents. He adds that it has set him up well to progress in his studies:

“I hadn’t realised how far this course could take me until I came to talk to the staff, and now I'm on track to study for an Accountancy Degree at Edinburgh Napier University in the autumn. I would recommend to anyone that they should explore SERC; you focus on one subject you're really interested in. The course is varied, but all the topics are related to the core area so that works for me, and it has turned out to be the route to university that I needed.”

SERC offers real learning for real life. Applications are still open, and places are still available on some courses  starting September 2025. Further Education, Traineeship NI and Apprenticeship enrolments take place on Thursday 21 August, 9am-5pm and Friday 22 August, 9am-3pm.

In the picture: Daragh Suckling (left) and Zack Kane celebrate raising charity funds as part of the event management part of their course.