SRCzine February 2024

ZINE

10/23

FEBRUARY .

. Monthly Review . Competition Upcoming Events . Who’s Who . Staff Changes

Monthly Achievements

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“

Walk to your goal firmly and with bold steps.

”

- Kahlil Gibran

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Early Childhood Studies Lecturer, Nicola Mc Parland, Earns Masters from Queen’s University Congratulations to Nicola McParland, our dedicated part-time Early Childhood Studies Lecturer, on the successful completion of her Master’s in Early Childhood Studies at Queen’s University.

Nicola embarked on her educational journey at the College, initially pursuing the Foundation Degree in Early Childhood Studies while actively working with Sure Start in South Armagh. Nicola’s commitment to her learning led her to progress to the Stranmillis BA Hons Early Childhood Studies at SRC. Nicola’s invaluable vocational expertise enriches our students as she shares her wealth of knowledge Nicola McParland, achieves a Masters from Queen’s University Belfast

Well done Nicola!

Success in Skills: Hannah Hillis Earns a Spot in Squad UK for WorldSkills Hannah Hillis, a Level 3 Health and Social Care student Competition has been selected for Squad UK, WorldSkills UK International Competition Development Programme.

Hannah won a silver medal at the national finals and will now progress to compete against other squad members for the chance to represent the UK at WorldSkills Lyon in September 2024, the largest vocational skills competition in the world.

The Development Programme is designed to develop students’ knowledge, skills, and expertise.

Hannah is only 17 years old, but has shown remarkable maturity and dedication to her field. She currently works at Brooklands Nursing Home, where she cares for the elderly with compassion and professionalism.

Hannah Hillis stated: “Just seeing the impact I can make in someone’s life felt really fulfilling and rewarding and I knew instantly that health and social care was what I wanted to pursue”.

Congratulations on this amazing achievement, SRC staff wish Hannah all the best in September!

Hannah Hillis, selected to represent the UK at WorldSkills Lyon in September 2024

03

Local Student Lubo Mulkerns to Compete at NI Future Chef Final

Regional Future Chef finalist Lubo Mulkerns alongside SRC mentor Sinead Boyle Local student Lubo Mulkerns from Jonesborough is returning to the kitchen, but not just any kitchen.

Lubo is competing in the regional finals of Future Chef on Wednesday 7th February 2024 at Belfast Metropolitan College. There, he will compete against six other secondary school students, who topped local competition heats to progress to the Northern Ireland regional final. The successful regional student will progress to the UK finals in March.

30 minutes to prepare, chop, organise and cook his planned meal of a mouthwatering lamb in a marinated sauce followed by a tantalising jelly sorbet sponge with crème anglaise. Timing is everything, with Lubo admitting that the biggest challenge going into the regionals is getting the timing right.

Lubo said: “The biggest challenge is timing. The competition is 1h30mins and so therefore I need to ensure I have everything cooked within this timeframe. This is why organisation is a very important skill to require. I have been practising at lot at home particularly over Christmas to try and get my timing narrowed down.”

Lubo is a student at St Paul’s High School Bessbrook but attends our Newry Campus as part of the School Partnership Programme. He has been preparing for the regional competition for many weeks. Each week Lubo practices his skills at home and at his dad’s local deli.

Lubo is also attending ten 1 to 1 mentoring sessions with SRC’s professional chef and lecturer Sinead Boyle, who herself was a finalist at the 2023 Institute of Hospitality Awards. Throughout these sessions, Sinead has been building and enhancing Lubo’s skills by practising different dishes to improve his timing.

Judging competitors are an amazing line up of six judges, including Geoff Baird, business development chef with Henderson Food Service; Gemma Austin who’s many accomplishments include representing Northern Ireland on BBC’s Great British Menu and Ulster Tatler Restaurant of the Year; Sean Owens, Culinary Training Officer at Ulster University; Artur Fron, winner of Northern Ireland’s Institute of Hospitality Independent Chef of the Year, and Kristen Nugent, FutureChef UK National Winner 2023.

At the regional competition Lubo will have just 1 hour

Lubo’s role model is Gordan Ramsey within the culinary industry. Not forgetting home grown role models, Lubo hopes to follow in his dad’s footsteps and own his own restaurant in the future.

Sinead Boyle, commented: “Lubo has worked extremely hard for this competition, and it would be fantastic to see him win. He is a great student who always has a positive attitude, is eager to learn and always has a smile on his face. I wish Lubo all the best”.

04

Release Your Potential During Northern Ireland Apprenticeship Week 2024 The College has been shortlisted for two Northern Ireland Apprenticeship Awards which include the Mentor Award and the Small to Medium Enterprise Award.

Mentor Award: • •

Helen Goodrich, Almac (working with Southern Regional College) Mark Savage, Re-Gen (working with Southern Regional College)

Small to Medium Enterprise in partnership with a Training Provider Award: •

Irwin Mechanical & Electrical Ltd in partnership with Southern Regional College

These awards recognise the outstanding achievement of apprentices and employers across the region. The College is honoured to be among the finalists and look forward to the ceremony on Wednesday 27th February.

Good luck to our finalists!

Click to read more about Northern Ireland Apprenticeship Week 2024

05

Brigid Shaw: A Life Full of Accomplishments and a Passion for Dressmaking Brigid (Breege) Shaw is an amazing lady and an asset to the College as she celebrated her 80th birthday last week!

Brigid has been teaching dressmaking at SRC for 20 years and has passed down her wealth of knowledge and skills to the next generation of dressmakers! She is not only a skilled instructor, but also a lifelong learner who is always eager to improve her own craft. Brigid recently enrolled on a new course to learn more about interior design, she certainly is a woman of many talents!

Brigid is a remarkable example of how age is no barrier to learning and teaching. She is passionate about her subject and enjoys sharing her knowledge and experience with her students and peers. She is a role model for anyone who wants to learn a new skill and achieve their dream career.

Click to read more about Brigid (Breege)

Student Brandon Smith Clinches Top Spot in Credit Union Art Competition!

Congratulations to Brandon Smith, the first-place winner of this year’s Credit Union art competition, where he triumphed over tough competition from participants across Armagh, Antrim, and Down!

Brandon who currently studies the Level 2 Diploma in Creative Arts and Digital Technologies at the Armagh campus is set to showcase his talent at the National competition where he will compete against participants from across the whole of Northern Ireland. The winners will have their posters featured in the 2025 National Credit Union calendar. We here at SRC wish Brandon every success!

Special thanks to Justin Mallon, Manager of Armagh Credit Union, and Mairead Duffy, Course Coordinator for the Level 2 Diploma in Creative Arts and Digital Technologies for presenting Brandon with his well-deserved prize.

Justin Mallon, Manager of Armagh Credit Union and Mairead Duffy, Course Coordinator for the Level 2 Diploma in Creative Arts and Digital Technologies presenting Brandon with his cash prize at Armagh Campus.

Well done Brandon!

06

Collaborative Ventures: Games, Animation and VFX Students unite with NextGen Skills Academy

Our Level 3 Games, Animation, and VFX class took part in work experience with NextGen Skills Academy Our talented Level 3 Games, Animation, and VFX students delved into real-world experiences with NextGen Skills Academy.

Students collaborated in groups making design choices to either save a future earth that has been ravaged by climate change or leave and create a new civilisation in the stars!

This was a great opportunity for students to engage with a range of industry professionals gaining feedback on their concepts and ideas. Two SRC teams were chosen to represent the College in a celebration event where they got to showcase their concepts!

Well done to all involved!

Learning by Doing: Building Skills for Real-World Success!

Our Year 2 Professional Chef Traineeship & Year 3 Clanrye Group Restaurant students serve lunch every Thursday in our Graduate Restaurant in Newry. This enables students to further build on their practical skills to prepare them for a successful career within the Hospitality industry!

Look at these delicious dishes our students cooked up!

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Christmas 2023 at SRC! Thank you to everyone who made a very generous donation to the College’s Charity Partner, NI Children’s Hospice. The College raised over £1,000 for our Charity Partner!

Christmas Quiz Winners!

Pictured are some of the winners (L-R) include Grainne Chambers, Angela Torrens, Rosemary Finnegan, and Brandon Morrison.

Congratulations to Andree Ardis who won the Hamper Raffle, we hope you enjoyed your winnings!

Hamper Raffle Winner!

February Valentines Competition!

Participate in our Valentine’s competition for your chance to win a delightful box of chocolates, perfectly timed for Valentine’s. Remember, you’ve got to be in it to win it!

On average, how many wedding proposals take place on Valentines Day each year?

210,000

220,000

190,000

Click here to answer Competition closes on Wednesday 7th February at 5pm. The winner will be contacted by the Marketing team to collect their prize.

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The Innovation Voucher Scheme is Open!

Client Spotlight Moo Valley

SRC is offering £5K worth of technical expertise to boost your business innovation.

Whether it’s: • Food Production & Testing Engineering & Design • Tourism Innovation Lean Manufacturing Construction Innovation.

The Business Support & Innovation Team has you covered!

Chef Bootcamp Is your new year’s resolution to enhance your cooking and kitchen skills? Then apply for Chef Bootcamp!

Participants will cover a variety of areas including health & safety in the kitchen, learning how to make soups and sauces, mastering butchery, knife skills and dessert-making. There will also be work placement with local employers, and applicants can gain Level 2 qualifications in Food Safety and Allergen Awareness.

Gain insights, learn from the best, and stay ahead of industry trends!

The Business Support & Innovation Team are running Wednesday Webcasts until March 2024.

Get ready to tap into the expertise of industry leaders as these webcasts cover a broad spectrum of topics, including Digital Tourism, Food, Engineering, ICT, eCommerce, and more!

These webcasts are a valuable resource for those interested in staying updated with industry trends and innovations.

Don’t panic if you missed a session as you can stay up to date at your convenience.

09

Upcoming Events Date

Campus

Event Name

Location

Time

Section

5th Feb-24

Newry West

Refresher's Fair

West Foyer

10:00am-11:30am

LS

5th Feb-24

Greenbank

Refresher's Fair

Green Tech 0-05

1:00pm-2:30pm

LS

6th Feb-24

Greenbank

Intercampus Skillbuild

Greenbank Campus

9:30am-4:30pm

BUTE

6th Feb-24

Newry West

Big Apprenticeship Event

Foyer, Canteen & Exams Hall

5:30pm-7:30pm

BSI

8th Feb-24

N/A

Big Apprenticeship Event

Craigavon Civic Centre

5:30pm-7:30pm

BSI

5th Mar-24

Portadown

March Open Day

Conference Centre & Clow Hall

5:00pm-7:00pm

MCR

6th Mar-24

Newry West & East

March Open Day

Newry East & West Foyer & Exams Hall

5:00pm-7:00pm

MCR

7th Mar-24

Portadown

SPP Coffee Morning

Conference Centre/ Bistro

10:00am-12:15pm

PRSE

11th Mar-24

Armagh

March Open Day

Conference Suite & Lecture Theatre

5:00pm-7:00pm

MCR

13th Mar-24

Lurgan

March Open Day

Foyer & Hall

5:00pm-7:00pm

MCR

14th Mar-24

Banbridge

March Open Day

Lecture Theatre

5:00pm-7:00pm

MCR

2nd May-24

Armagh

SRC Performing Arts Variety Show

ARM-2-02

11:00am-12:30pm & 7:00pm-8:30pm

CDAC

15th May-24

N/A

SRC Music Dept Showcase

Market Place Theatre, Armagh

7:00pm-9:30pm

CDAC

16th May-24

N/A

SRC Performing Arts: The Final Curtain Call

Market Place Theatre, Armagh

7:00pm-8:30pm

CDAC

21st May-24

Banbridge

Childcare Conference- Full STEAM ahead

Foyer & Lecture Theatre

5:30pm- 8:30pm

HESC

24th Aug-24

Armagh, Newry West & Portadown

August Open Campus Event

College Campuses

TBC

MCR

10

Who’s Who

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Staff Changes Role Changes or New Starts Name Sam Eakin John Fegan Rachel Gilmore Angela Henry Alastair Henry Holly Knox Darren Little Helen Loughran Christopher McCann Geraldine McClean Edward McClenaghan Caroline McCoy Aine McCreesh Naoimh McGovern Alanna Morgan Abbie Muldrew Clionagh Quinn Jeffrey Smyth Helen Strain Blathnaid Woods

Contract Temporary Permanent Temporary Permanent Temporary Temporary Permanent Permanent Temporary Temporary Permanent Permanent Permanent Temporary Temporary Permanent Permanent Permanent Permanent Permanent

Description PT Lecturer - Essential Skills Faculty Administrator Technician Demonstrator Catering Learning Support Assistant Register PT Lecturer - Science Careers Education Info Advice Guidance Officer Technician Demonstrator (Joinery) Associate Lecturer in Digital Marketing & Business PT Lecturer - Biology PT Lecturer - Biology MIS Officer Learning Support Mentor Learning Support Mentor Key Worker PT Lecturer - Computing Business Development Executive Learning Support Co-Ordinator Business Development Executive Learning Support Mentor Student Engagement Officer

Location Out Centre Newry Newry Armagh Online Portadown Portadown Newry Banbridge Newry Portadown Armagh Armagh Newry Armagh Portadown Banbridge Newry Armagh Portadown

Department Computing Design & Academic Studies Professional Services Professional Services Learning Support Health & Science Careers and Learning Resources Building Technology & Engineering Professional Services Health & Science Health & Science MIS Learning Support Learning Support External Funding Computing Design & Academic Studies Business Support and Innovation Learning Support Business Support and Innovation Learning Support Learning Support

Leavers Susan Calvin Molly Flanagan Philip McEwan Ryan Rainey Amy Warnock

Permanent Permanent Permanent Permanent Permanent

Associate Lecturer - Chemistry Learning Support Assistant Register Learning Support Mentor Lecturer - Plumbing Monitoring & Placement Officer

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Portadown Newry Armagh Portadown Newry

Health & Science Learning Support Learning Support Building Technology & Engineering Skills Training

Please forward all stories you would like to appear in the SRCzine to:

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marketing@src.ac.uk 028 3025 9695 Next Issue Out: March 2024

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