South Eastern Regional College Information

South Eastern Regional College (SERC) is a further and higher education college in the south-east of Northern Ireland.

SERC was created following the merger of three institutes of further and higher education in the south-east of Northern Ireland. These were East Down Institute, Lisburn Institute and North Down and Ards Institute. The merger took effect from August 2007. SERCs aim is to become a top 20 global college by 2020 and is currently listed in the top 30 colleges in the UK.

The colleges main campuses are situated in:

In addition to these main campuses, smaller campuses are also located in Newcastle, Ballynahinch and Holywood with multiple out-centers throughout the province.

The college offers a range of full-time and part-time courses and has over 30,000 students and over 1,000 members of staff. Courses are available in a wide range of subjects at a further education or higher education level. There are also many part-time leisure courses which run in the evening, for example Holiday Spanish, Tai Chi, Painting For Pleasure or Baking Breads.

SERC also runs a range of Apprenticeships and Higher Level Apprenticeships. An Apprenticeship is a work based learning programme funded by the Department for the Economy (DfE), it is designed for 16-24 year olds, contracted to work a minimum of 21 hours per week. You will get paid by your employer and the training is free. Higher Level Apprenticeships (HLA) is an apprentice you earn while you learn and receive other benefits too. HLAs are a great alternative to university – many offer training up to degree level, a salary and the opportunity to start moving your career forward. To undertake a HLA you much be over 18 years old and hold a Level 3 qualification such as A levels, BTEC or OCR, NVQ Level 3 or an Advanced Apprenticeship. You may also need to have gained up to five GCSEs grade A* to C including English and Maths and you need to show you have the ability to complete the programme which takes between 1 – 3 years.

More information on specific courses should be sought from the College Prospectus.

All full-time students automatically become a member of the students’ union which runs events and activities throughout the year. As a member of the students union you will have access to student discounts at various locations from shopping to the cinema. You also have the option to purchase an NUS Card which provides additional support and discounts.

SERC has many in house support services which students can use free of charge. SERC Student Union, SERC Extra, Student Finance, Careers Advice, Learning Support and Community Support.

There are restaurant facilities on all of the main campuses.

SERC has a wide range of facilities that are available to rent. The three hair and beauty salons and three restaurants are open to the public to book.

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