“It also led me to a permanent role at SureStart in Ballymena – which I love – and is somewhere I hope to progress my career at.
“While studying, I have been able to gain experience working with children of all ages. This includes working with children from nursery school age to primary school age.
“I really valued being able to gain the work experience while studying, so as well as being able to graduate knowing exactly what I wanted to do, I have also built up a foundation of confidence in the workplace.”
Not only did Eireann value being able to face the working world head on, but she valued the continuous support from lecturers at the College.
“The lecturers were incredibly supportive, in particular Elaine Hegarty and Tanya Blair were very helpful during my time there.”
Post-graduation, Eireann already has plans on how she is going to put all she has learned into practice in her new role.
“The course also taught us core skills including learning how to progress appraisals and supporting supervisions, which is something I didn’t have experience in. Now that I am working full-time at SureStart, I am eager to see how I can put my knowledge into practice.”
Northern Regional College offers a range of full time and part time higher education courses.
Qualifications include Higher Level Apprenticeships (HLAs), Foundation Degrees, Higher National Certificates/Diplomas and Degrees. The College also offers an Access to University course which provides mature students with an alternative progression route to higher education.