College Placement helps Corey Step Up for Learning and Employment

Knowing exactly what you want to do for the rest of your life at the age of 16, can prove challenging for many young people.   But progressing and keeping your options open often leads to the right choices, such was the case for Corey Machala (20), from Newtownards.

Corey said, “I did my GCSEs at Bangor Academy and thought at that time I wanted to follow in my grandfather’s footsteps and become a welder.   I did Skills for Work Engineering Level 2 at SERC, followed by Projects, with the College’s Training Organisation, which included a placement locally in engineering for a few months when I realised this was not the pathway for me.

“I came back to SERC to do the College Connect programme (now Step-Up, a new programme offering a wide range of flexible courses. The programme is designed to help people who need support to return to training and education, and who are missing out on job opportunities). This gave me the opportunity to try different things and there was the support of a dedicated mentor to help me progress.

“I did a placement in a healthcare setting and found that I really enjoyed the work, and this has given me some direction.   Right now, I am currently working as a full-time care assistant in Phoenix Care Home in Newtownards. My long-term ambition is to become a paramedic and I am planning to return to the College to gain appropriate qualifications, but for now I am keen to gain some work experience.

He added, “The work in the care home can be tough at times, but we have a good team and if you need help, you just have to ask.   It really is a team effort working in the home.”

Speaking about coming to SERC, Corey said,

“As I met new people and learned new skills, my confidence grew at College. I met other people with ADHD and autism and the College provided me with all the support I needed to progress.”

Step-Up, a new programme offering a wide range of flexible new courses, is being provided by South Eastern Regional College (SERC) from September 2023. The programme is funded under the UK government’s New Deal for Northern Ireland Initiative and is managed by the Department for the Economy.

The programme is designed to help people who need support to return to training and education, and who are missing out on job opportunities. Schedules are flexible and the focus is very much on the individual student.

Step Up consists of four pathways: College Connect+; College Connect 24+;  Disability Access Route to Education and Employment (DARE); and Women Returners Access Programme (WRAP).

Students on the new Step-Up Programme can apply for funding for travel, childcare and any equipment they might need to complete their course.