Success Highlights

Southern Regional College Best in the UK!

Southern Regional College topped the leaderboard at the WorldSkills UK competition 2022, with SRC students securing 3 gold medals, 4 silver medals, 6 bronze medals and 4 students being awarded highly commended.

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, our students put on a fantastic display of their abilities in a range of subject areas at the National Finals which took place across UK locations during November 2022.

Southern Regional College have secured as high as third place in previous year’s competitions and have consistently placed within the top 10 UK Colleges. Having secured the largest team of students 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.”

Winning Students

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

Sean McGrath awarded at Institute of Meat and The Worshipful Company of Butchers Annual Awards

Sean McGrath first began his butchery journey at the age of seventeen at ABP Food Group and has held various positions within the company. Sean’s managers were so impressed by his talent and skill that he was earmarked for supervisory and management roles early in his career.

Sean commenced his educational journey with Southern Regional College in 2019 when he enrolled on the ‘FDQ Level 2 Certificate in Proficiency in Meat and Poultry Skills’. He impressed lecturing staff within the College with his knowledge, dedication, and motivation and his ability to manage both work and study.

Sean was awarded for his talent and determination at the Institute of Meat and The Worshipful Company of Butchers annual awards ceremony in February 2022 receiving the ‘Best Apprentice showing Management Potential in a Manufacturing Environment’ award. He was presented with his award by Her Royal Highness, Princess Anne, and Keith Fisher, Chief Executive of the Institute of Meat.

Aaron represents the UK in WorldSkills Competition Special Edition in Italy

Aaron Gillespie jetted off to Italy in October 2022 to compete at the WorldSkills Special Edition, representing the UK in this worldwide competition.

Aaron from Killylea, a former student of Southern Regional College, successfully completed Level 2 and Level 3 in Wall & Floor Tiling, where he honed his skills under the supervision of the College’s industry expert teaching staff, facilitating him to compete at such a high level in the area of wall & floor tiling. Aaron was coached throughout his training and the many competition stages by WorldSkills UK Training Manager and SRC lecturer Paul Doran.

Brian Doran, Principal & Chief Executive of Southern Regional College commented:

“We are incredibly proud of Aaron for his success to date throughout the WorldSkills competition series. His dedication and talent for his chosen field is a clear reflection of the incredible ability students at Southern Regional College have and we are thrilled to be able to display this on the world stage.”

Aaron’s success and talent in the field of wall and flooring tiling led to him being offered a lecturing position at Southern Regional College where he passes learnings onto students following in his footsteps.

Hair & Therapy Regional Heat success

Armagh campus hosted the ‘Association of Hairdressers and Therapists’ Regional Heat in April 2022, allowing students the opportunity to enhance their technical and employability skills, as well as test their skills under pressure in preparation to succeed within their chosen trade.

There were over 13 categories involving 128 participants from SRC, Belfast Met, and SERC. Out of 42 awards presented, 30 awards were scooped by SRC Hair, Barbering, and Beauty students. And impressively, 10 of those awards were first place.

The judging panel remarked on the unending display of creativity and talent that was demonstrated throughout the entire competition.

Brian Doran, Principal & Chief Executive of Southern Regional College commented:

“Congratulations to all winners and participants. This was a phenomenal achievement that set our students up for success. It’s a real tribute to the hard work, dedication, and preparation of the lecturers and students”.

Southern Regional College students celebrate exceptional results from English & History degree

Students who completed the BA (Hons) Degree in English and History at Newry achieved outstanding results, receiving six first-class honours and seven 2:1 classifications.

This was an outstanding accomplishment for students from various educational backgrounds prior to starting the degree programme. To mark their achievement and celebrate their success, the College hosted a celebratory event in May 2022.

Many of the students have continued their educational journey by applying to Masters programmes within Northern Ireland and around the globe, while others are pursuing lecturing positions and employment opportunities.

Dr Liz Finnigan, Course Director for the BA (Hons) English & History commented:

“These students are role models and show that with hard work, dedication, and motivation you can succeed and achieve anything! These are remarkable achievements for each individual student, and I wish them all the best in their future endeavours.”