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Fainche Kelly, a current Southern Regional College student studying Healthcare Practice Higher National Certificate travelled to Jesolo in Italy in October to represent Ireland at the World Kick Boxing Championships 2022.
From an early age, Kickboxing has always been a massive part of Fainche's life, with both her father and uncle representing Ireland in a number of World Championships. Fainche has followed in their successful footsteps and has already won numerous medals winning bronze at the Bristol Open in 2019 and the Irish Open in 2020. She is also currently ranked second in Ireland for her weight category!
Unfortunately, Fainche was not ranked this year but she remarked on the overall experience and commented on how proud she was to represent Ireland and get the opportunity to meet similar people, who share the same level of passion for the sport.
Alexandra Cassidy, Lecturer, and Coordinator for Health and Social Care & Healthcare Practice course at Southern Regional College said “Fainche is an excellent student, who is always keen to learn and shows great dedication towards her studies and to kickboxing. She is an excellent role model for other students, demonstrating that hard work and motivation is the key to achieving success. I wish her all the success in both her academic studies and sporting journey!
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Southern Regional College have successfully kicked off the new Data Analytics Assured Skills Academy in partnership with FD Technologies, a global leader in consulting, business services and technology.
Funded by the DfE Assured Skills programme, this 8-week academy will see delivery of superior training in a range of areas, including project management, Python, software fundamentals, software testing, introduction to cloud technologies, RDBMS/SQL and Excel.
Participants will develop enhanced employment-ready transferable skills. On completion of the Academy, participants will be guaranteed an interview for a role as a Data/Systems Analyst in First Derivatives business area within FD Technologies. Throughout the duration of the academy, each participant will receive £150 weekly training allowance, alongside travel expenses and assistance with childcare costs where appropriate.
Brian Doran, Principal and Chief Executive of Southern Regional College, said
“SRC is delighted to welcome participants onto its first Assured Skills Data Analytics Academy with FD Technologies. Supported by the Economy department this academy will see delivery of exceptional high-quality training, equipping individuals with invaluable skills and potential employment opportunities. We wish each participant the very best of luck and look forward to seeing them progress over the next 8 weeks.
For more information on the Assured Skills Academies, please visit http://www.nidirect.gov.uk
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Southern Regional College has topped the leaderboard at the WorldSkills UK competition, with SRC students securing 3 gold medals, 4 silver medals, 6 bronze medals and 4 students being awarded highly commended.
The results were announced at a livestreamed WorldSkills UK Watch Party at the College’s Armagh campus on Friday, which saw competitors and their families join SRC staff to watch the winners announced live by Steph McGovern from the ‘Steph’s Packed Lunch’ .
WorldSkills UK, often dubbed the ‘Skills Olympics’, offers a chance for students from across the UK to compete in a bid to be crowned winner of their chosen subject area. Having made it through the NI competitions, SRC students put on a fantastic display of their abilities in a range of subject areas at the National Finals which took place at Edinburgh College between 15-17 November.
Southern Regional College have secured as high as third place in previous years competition’s and have consistently placed within the top 10 UK Colleges. Having secured the largest team of student’s competing at the UK competition this year, the College is understandably extremely proud of the students success.
Brian Doran, Principal and Chief Executive at Southern Regional College spoke of his delight at the results “I am filled with enormous pride that the SRC team have topped the leaderboard at WorldSkills UK. At Southern Regional College we place great emphasis on training, supporting and mentoring our students to compete at regional, national and international level in their chosen areas, using this as a vital tool in the delivery of quality training for our students”.
“Following our success last year when we placed 3rd in the UK table, we set ourselves the goal of topping the UK table within 5 years. To have achieved this goal within one year is a phenomenal success”.
“I congratulate all our students for a truly marvellous achievement; we are rightly extremely proud of their individual and collective achievements. SRC students are now the newest crop of top vocational and technical skills champions in the UK and will be fantastic ambassadors for the College!”
“I want to also pay tribute to our staff who have supported and mentored our competitors through local, regional and national competitions. This success would simply not have happened without the dedication and support of our lecturers and support team. This achievement is a resounding endorsement of the quality of training provided by lecturers across so many areas from beauty therapy and engineering to laboratory science”.
The Winners
Issac Bingham Furniture & Cabinet Making Gold
Victoria Sloan Health & Social Care Gold
Conor Nugent Wall & Floor Tiling Gold
Philip Shirley Automation Silver
James Smyth Automation Silver
Mykenzie Cartmill Beauty Therapy Silver
Keri Woodcraft Creative Media Makeup Silver
Jason McVerry Automation Bronze
John Doherty Automation Bronze
Patrick Sheerin Mechatronic Bronze
Riley Howlett Mechatronic Bronze
Jacqui Hawthorne Painting & Decorating Bronze
Anastasiya Kovtun Laboratory Technician Bronze
Jamie Gibson Automation Highly Commended
Jevgenij Kamnev Automation Highly Commended
Wiktoria Kurkowska Laboratory Technician Highly Commended
Abbi Magill Laboratory Technician Highly Commended
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The 2023 Northern Ireland Civil Service Student Placement Scheme is now open for applications offering 140 placements across government departments.
Opportunities are available for students across a range of degree areas including accountancy, architecture, engineering, communications, ICT, law and policy. This year for the first time, placements are available for students studying psychology, electrical engineering and structural engineering. These are paid placements with an annual salary of £19,121 per annum.
The scheme is open to students currently studying towards an undergraduate degree, who will have successfully completed their second year examinations by the end of the 2022/23 academic year and who have the opportunity to undertake a placement for the 2023/24 academic year.
The scheme is open for applications from Monday 28th November to noon on Friday 9th December 2022 with placements expected to start late August/early September 2023. Further information on the range of placements and details on how to apply are available at www.nicsrecruitment.org.uk
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Prospective students recently got a chance to check out what Southern Regional College (SRC) has to offer in higher education and degree options. The event held recently across four of SRC’s campus’, gave attendees the chance to speak directly with lecturers on course requirements and progression routes, and receive 1-1 career guidance and advice on their next steps.
SRC have expanded course offerings for entry September 2023 and is a major player in the provision of higher level skills. New higher levels courses including degrees have been developed in a range of priority sectors including digital construction, advanced engineering, cloud computing, games development, accounting and fintech.
With multiple benefits to studying close to home, the time has never been better to look into local education options. Benefits include smaller class sizes compared to university intakes, increased pastoral care and access to state of the art facilities through the newly constructed campuses in Banbridge and Armagh.
With the current cost of living crisis impacting activities, the college is keen that education and skills development does not suffer. As a community based college SRC can provide access to quality higher education for less expense and travel time. Additionally, the college provides a focus on student life, by providing access to social activities, student discounts and incentives. Negating the need to travel further afield for higher education.
With an increased course offering, SRC aspire to make ‘Home Grown Graduates’ a realistic opportunity for all. On the night, the college welcomed many potential students through its doors. Reasons provided by attendees for attending the open evening event include the opportunity to get an education close to home and getting a relevant degree from experienced industry professional tutors.
Check out the courses on offer at Newry Campus www.src.ac.uk
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Southern Regional College’s annual pantomime is set to take centre stage in the College’s Armagh campus this week with students across disciplines currently in the final stages of rehearsal. The classic fairy tale of Snow White has been given a modern twist as an unpredictable series of events occurs to Snow White whilst lost in the forest with her friends, the seven dwarfs.
So, what can the audience expect? There are still the widely anticipated chants of “Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all”, the poisoned apple and Snow White’s evil stepmother, the Queen, but as for the rest….. well the audience will find out on either Wednesday or Thursday 8December 2022 when the public can attend this ticketed evening event.
Student Mary-Kate Moore “Snow White”, commented “The pantomime is very unpredictable as there is a twist to it. We can’t wait to put on this performance, especially for all the primary school children. There is an amazing buzz within the cast and we cannot wait to perform.”
The pantomime is a big collaboration between students at the college, with students on the Level 3 Extended Diploma Performing and Production Arts, Level 2 Hair & Media make-up and Level 3 Extended Diploma Music Performance & Production all contributing. Students are performing under the expert oversight of SRC staff Teresa McBride (Director), Gilda Turner (Choreography), Amy Carson (Costume and Light), Matt Duke (Musical Director), and Paddy Craig (Audio Production)
The pantomime provides a rollercoaster of emotions with lots of gags and plenty of original music composed by college students.
Daytime performances of the pantomime have been snapped up by local schools, however tickets for evening performances are still available to purchase These evening performances will take place at the college’s Armagh campus, within the performing arts studio. Available tickets can be purchased from Eventbrite
An online premier of the performance will be available from 15th December. To sign up for the premier, submit the online form at www.src.ac.uk
Looking forward to the fun Teresa McBride, Pantomime Director, commented “With student input from performing arts, music, hair & media make-up and arts, Snow White is our biggest production yet. Our students have come together to produce a truly spectacular show which I am excited to share with you this December. You will be awestruck by the pantomime.”
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This time it was the staff at Southern Regional College (SRC) who were placed under the examination spotlight! With the launch of the new OCN Level Two and Three Awards in Cocktail Making, Chief Executive Brian Doran together with Directors Raymond Sloan and Libby Shackels were pitted against each other in a competition to see who could compose an award-winning cocktail.
All three competitors were carefully tutored in the art of cocktail making by external hospitality venues Killeavy Castle Estate, Newry, The Whistledown Hotel, Warrenpoint and The Canal Court Hotel & Spa, Newry.
All three hospitality venues put the Chief Executive and Directors through their paces to ensure cocktail quality and composition was impressive. They did not get away lightly in the final examination exhibit, as many hospitality industry professionals attended the final examination event in SRC’s Graduate Restaurant in Newry.
In attendance on the night were Michael Stewart, Belfast Chamber Immediate Past President and Director of Bar Czar Ltd; Brendan McCarty, Killowen Gins; Sean McCormick, OCN Qualifications and Innovation Manager; Robert Burgess, Chairperson of Newry Mourne Down’s Enterprise, Regeneration & Tourism Committee, together with other local employees in the Newry and Mourne area.
All three competitors prepared a gin-based cocktail with various other ingredients. Brian Doran delivered the “Doran Doran” cocktail following training from Killeavy Castle, a gin and coconut-based cocktail. Raymond Sloan tackled the “Lady Whistledown”, a cocktail containing hints of rhubarb, raspberries, grapefruit and hibiscus while Libby Shackels prepared the “Ruby Red” cocktail, containing Chambord and the juice of a full lemon. These cocktails were specific to each hospitality venue’s business.
On the night Kevin McAllister, Downtown Radio presenter served as the master of ceremonies, keeping participants on their toes as they prepared and served up the individual cocktails in front of the audience. As cocktails were served, videos of training undertaken by all were showcased, displaying training fails and successes. Michael Stewart gave an honest opinion of each cocktail attempt before the audience on the night voted for their favourite.
In-between cocktails, guests were treated to a five-course meal prepared and cooked by Level 2 and 3 Professional Chef students, under the guidance of Conor MacCann and Lynette McMath, Level 3 Chef lecturers. During food service, guests were treated to an interview from Michelin Star Chef Alex Greene, a past SRC Culinary Arts student, who now works in EIPIC, a flagship Belfast restaurant in Michael Deane’s empire of Michelin Star restaurants.
Following voting and result verification, Brian’s “Doran Doran” cocktail was evidently a crowd pleaser as it was announced the victorious cocktail.
The event was organised to mark the launch of SRC’s OCN Level Two and Three Awards in Cocktail Making. Launching in January 2023, the cocktail qualifications are aimed at upskilling hospitality businesses and people working within the hospitality industry.
Michelle Moore, Curriculum Area Manager for the Faculty of Professional Services at Southern Regional College commented:
“This OCN Level 2 and Level 3 Award in Cocktail Making is aimed at staff working in the industry who wish to upskill and gain a meaningful qualification. The Hospitality team at SRC are passionate about working with local employers and offering the options of short snappy courses.”
ENDS…..
For Further Information
Heather Coote, Marketing Officer – PR & Publications
Photo Caption
Image Name:
Picture 1, Brian Doran – captioned “Brian Doran, Chief Executive and CEO of Southern Regional College showcasing the award winning ‘Doran, Doran” cocktail”
Picture 2, Raymond Sloan – captioned “Raymond Sloan alongside staff from The Whistledown Hotel who provided expert tutelage for the ‘Lady Whistledown’ cocktail”
Picture 3, Libby Shackels – captioned “Libbey Shackels undergoing videoing during training preparation for the ‘Ruby Red’ cocktail with The Canal Court Hotel & Spa”
Picture 4, pictured (L-R)
Back Row: Michael Stewart, Kevin McAllister
Front Row: Raymond Sloan, Brian Doran, Libby Shackels
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Former Armagh senior footballer Oisin McConville has teamed up with Southern Regional College (SRC) to launch a survival toolkit for students moving to Further and Higher Education (FE & HE). As part of the event launch, local secondary schools from Warrenpoint and Bessbrook attended SRC’s Newry West campus last Thursday 15 December to hear Oisin speak on resilience and overcoming personal difficulties.
Oisin has had his own battles with mental health. Having overcome a gambling addiction Oisin now openly speaks of his experiences and champions available support. Oisin is a firm advocate of the importance of looking after your mental health, particularly amongst younger age groups studying and transiting between Further and Higher Education.
The toolkit consists of insights and hacks to helps students navigate and settle into new surroundings. However, the toolkit is just one of a wide range of mental health support resources available. A transitioning to HE course and video case studies detailing what is mental health; adopting/adjusting to a new environment; financial, social and academic challenges plus how to improve mental health and well-being, are all available for young people to access and work through.
Lecturers and tutors have not been forgotten about either. A train the trainer course has been developed to help staff in becoming mental well-being coaches. The course includes coaching methods and materials to support students in their move to HE.
The mental health and well-being action originated from the Well Project, an Erasmus+ KA2 funded project. SRC led on the project and collaborated with three EU partners: Dundalk Institute of Technology; Decroly, a private Vocational Education and Training institution in Northern Spain and Kettle of Fish, a Northern Irish social enterprise organisation that makes documentary films addressing social and educational issues.
Libby Shackels, SRC Director of Curriculum was pleased to welcome students and staff to the event. Libby emphasised how the project will equip young people with the knowledge, tools, and resources to empower actions, and reduce stress levels and anxiety often faced when making that important move into independent adult life.
A demonstration of the toolkit was undertaken by Catriona Regan, Head of External Engagement at SRC. Catriona showcased how students and young people alike could access tips, hacks and practical advice featured within the toolkit. Students were encouraged to make this toolkit their first stop when navigating new environments and building resilience.
The importance of looking after your mental was hammered home with videos featuring young individuals. These individuals spoke of their own experiences with mental health and solutions sought. Mental health experts featured in the videos, detailing at length the tools and techniques which can be used to improve mental health and well-being. The importance of sleep, daily comfort breaks and regular meals was highlighted.
Libby Shackels, Director of Curriculum at Southern Regional College commented “The event was a wonderful opportunity for the College to highlight The Well Project and importance of maintaining good mental health and well-being. We understand the transition to Higher Education can be daunting and we hope these resources will assist students as they undertake their next steps.
For further information, please visit the website at: www.wellproject.online
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Following the success of their 2022 programme, the Salters’ Institute will once again run 10 Discovery Days as part of its annual Festivals of Chemistry in May and June 2023.
Discovery Days give students the chance to hear from inspiring speakers, work in teams on a chemistry practical in university laboratories, and take part in a careers panel. The day is educational, challenging and encourages students to explore chemistry as a subject and as a gateway to many careers. There will also be CPD provision for teachers attending.
Spaces at Discovery Days are open to all schools. Priority, however, will be given to state schools that match our widening participation criteria that includes areas of socio-economic deprivation and low progression to higher education. The closing date for entries is Monday 6 February 2023. Schools can apply online at saltersinstitute.org.
The Salters’ Festivals of Chemistry is a three-stage, hybrid programme that includes videos, classroom activities, in-person laboratory experience at universities and a team challenge. Find out more on our website.
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