Over 1,400 visitors explore courses at Newry SRC campuses

Southern Regional College has welcomed large crowds to its January open evenings, with over 1,400 visitors attending the Newry and Greenbank campuses alone as part of a two-week roadshow that attracted secondary school pupils, parents and adult returners keen to explore education and training opportunities.

Running from Tuesday 20 January, each campus opened its doors on a designated evening, offering visitors the chance to experience SRC's facilities first-hand and speak directly with teaching staff, support teams and current students. The open evening programme started in Portadown before visiting Newry East and West campuses, with a dedicated apprenticeship-focused open evening at the college's Greenbank campus. The roadshow then visited the towns and campuses in Armagh and Lurgan.

It will also be visiting Banbridge on Monday 2 February after the original event was rescheduled due to Storm Chandra.

The key message arising from this year's open evenings was that education is accessible to everyone, with study options available at "Your Path, Your Place, Your Pace". Within the college, there are courses starting from entry level up to level 7 postgraduate qualifications, with full-time and part-time study options available. While each campus delivers a wide range of subjects, several also specialise in key subject areas.

Attending the Newry East and West Campus open evening were Kornelija Karnaiskaite and Rebecca Brown from Newry. Both presently work within the childcare sector and were interested in pursuing career progression opportunities with the college's Leadership for Children's Care Learning and Development Level 5 Diploma course.

At the Greenbank campus there were many young people and their parents exploring apprenticeship opportunities with the college. This included Rathfriland High School student Ryan Johnston and mum Vicky Johnston, and Martin Kane and Conor Brown from St Malachy's High School who attended the Greenbank open evening to explore apprenticeships in carpentry and joinery.

Raymond Sloan, Director of Client Services and Newry Campus Manager, said this year's open evening at Newry campus was an outstanding success, with a huge turnout that reflects the continued interest in Southern Regional College. "Moving our open evenings to earlier in the year clearly resonated with attendees, giving prospective students and families the opportunity to explore their options earlier and with greater confidence. We look forward to welcoming students in September as they commence their journey with the college," he said.

Fiona Bradley, Assistant Director of Further Education and Training, said hosting the very first open day on Greenbank campus was a fantastic milestone for the college. "The turnout and enthusiasm made it even more special. It was wonderful to see so many people exploring the campus and sharing in our vision for the future. We look forward to welcoming students in September as they commence their apprenticeship journey with the college," she added.

Applications for places on the college's post-GCSE, full-time and apprenticeship courses open on Tuesday 3 February at 12 noon. To make an application, visit the college's website at www.src.ac.uk.