NRC hosts Courses and Careers Fair at Coleraine campus

With so many courses and training opportunities available, this time of year can be challenging and confusing for young people - and their parents - as they weigh up all the available options.

To make these decisions easier, Northern Regional College has teamed up with almost 100 local employers to host a series of ‘Courses and Careers Fairs’ across its campuses later this month.

College Vice-Principal for Teaching and Learning, Vincent Taggart said the Courses and Careers Fairs will be an ideal chance for parents and students to explore the further and higher education choices and training and apprenticeship options available at the College.

“We realise that with so many different options available, it can be difficult to know the best route to follow but our students thrive in the College’s supportive learning environment,” he said.

“The College has introduced a number of courses involving work based learning which give the student an opportunity to gain valuable work experience with their qualifications which improve their employability.

He continued: “Everyone is welcome to come along and see what we have on offer, whether you already have clear ideas about what you want to study, are still waiting for results before deciding what route to follow or just want to come along to get some ideas.

“We offer a wide range of full-time and part-time courses and training opportunities at Northern Regional College. These include Level 2 and 3 Diplomas, which are GSCE and A Level equivalent and can be progression routes to a degree, university accredited courses including Foundation Degrees, Apprenticeships and Higher Level Apprenticeships which give students the chance to earn as they learn.

“Whatever your learning or career goals are, we will have a course to suit you.”

There are a range of HLAs on offer across the campuses from ICT, Applied and Industrial Science, Financial Services and Engineering.

Applications are now invited for the Higher Level Apprenticeship (HLA) in Accountancy. Now in its fifth year, this qualification provides a proven alternative route to a career in the Accountancy and Finance profession. After successful completion of the two-year programme students can progress to either Chartered Accountancy exams or Chartered Management exams (CIMA).

Business lecturer, Anne McCallum who is the HLA Accountancy coordinator at Northern Regional College says the success of previous graduates is testimony to the benefits of this route to professional qualification and employment.

“For example, Laura Todd from Ballycastle did her placement with Irwin Donaghy Accountants was placed ninth overall in Ireland in the Financial Accountancy Module and went on to do her chartered accountancy exams. Grant Abernethy from Kells is also studying for his chartered accountancy qualification while is working towards doing Chartered Management exams.”

Applicants will need good A level grades with at least 200 UCAS points to be considered for the HLA. Those selected go forward for interview with our panel of employers to secure a place. Students study at the College one day a week and work for their employer the other four days under a two-year employment contract within an accountancy practice or in the accounts department of a business. For further information email [email protected].

Work-based learning courses offered at Northern Regional College include: Barbering, Beauty Therapy; Brickwork; Carpentry & Joinery; Catering and Professional Chefs; Civil Engineering; Creative & Digital Media; Electrical Engineering; Engineering; Hairdressing; Health and Social Care; IT Users; Motor Vehicle; Plastering; Plumbing; Accountancy; Computing; and Engineering.

It is important that anyone interested applies immediately as selection is an ongoing process to meet the needs of participating employers by emailing [email protected].

Dates and times for the Courses and Careers Fairs are:

Coleraine, Monday, June 25, 2pm – 6pm; Magherafelt, Tuesday June 26, 2pm – 6pm; Ballymena (Farm Lodge) and Newtownabbey, Wednesday, June 27, 2pm – 6pm; Ballymoney, Thursday, June 28, 2pm – 6pm