South Eastern Regional College (SERC) is one of 6 regional Further and Higher Education Colleges in Northern Ireland (NI) and is committed to quality education and learning opportunities for its local communities. The College was formed following the merger of 3 colleges in 2007 and has 4 main campuses, 980 staff and over 30,000 annual enrolments with over 40 different subject areas for full or part-time study. It is based in the south-east region of NI. SERC aims to provide an experience that Inspires, Transforms and Enriches by nurturing innovation and providing opportunities for development beyond academic and vocational achievements.
SERC provides its vocational and higher-level learning and professional training in response to the demands of local stakeholders and Government strategies. The design of programmes ensures that the learning experience provides current knowledge and skills expected by industry in order to produce a work-ready workforce with general subject specific skills and knowledge that are related to their chosen area of study and a flexible practical curriculum responsive to economic need. Along with qualifications, the College integrates other key components including Essential Skills, work placements, enterprise awareness, volunteering and industry-led projects designed to enhance transversal skills.
This approach is delivered through the College’s 'Get the Edge' initiative using a Project Based Learning strategy that is embedded into the curriculum. This approach has resulted in excellent retention and success rates with 97% of learners from 2018/19 progressing into employment, self-employment or further education.
SERC’s primary strategic objective is to be a key driver of economic development by empowering and enabling individuals and businesses to fulfil their ambitions, making NI a successful, globally competitive and sustainable region. SERC's Internationalisation Strategy seeks to embrace the internationalisation objectives of the European Commission by boosting skills and employability, modernising education and training as well as having a focus on young people participating in mobility. SERC's Staff Development Policy also supports the professional and personal development of its staff including increasing SERC's capacity by undertaking training, job-shadowing, teaching abroad.
Quality Assurance is at the core of SERC’s strategy to deliver a quality learning experience through a continuous improvement process. Quality is managed by the Quality Excellence and Development department who are members of the College Management Team and thus are part of the strategic decision-making process. The College’s Quality Assurance system focuses on the following dimensions of the curriculum:
i) Quality of the teaching, learning and assessment
ii) Quality of the student experience including the level of learning support and student service
iii) Quality Improvement planning
The College implements a rigorous system of Self-Evaluation and Quality Improvement Planning which is embedded across the whole College including Schools, Course Teams and Corporate Units. This process is closely monitored through an integrated Monthly Performance Management System highlighting priorities, achievements and areas for improvement across the College. The Department of Education’s Education Training inspectorate (ETI) conducts annual quality inspections. The ETI has rated this process as having a “high degree of confidence” for the past 9 years. The Inspectors’ report highlighted best practice in the following areas: use of information to inform quality improvement; responsiveness to external educational, economic and social drivers; visionary curriculum leadership which is sector leading; strong links between quality improvement and operational strategic planning. Further, the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) for Higher Education concluded that the academic standards at SERC are reliable and meet UK requirements.
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