The Student Services Team ensures that all students have access to the full range of support and services offered by the College, including information and advice on Careers and Education Advice, Student Finance; Education Support; Northern Plus; and Counselling services.
Stephen McCartney, Head of Student Services, explained that the advice and guidance services provided by the Student Services and Careers Teams were assessed on four key elements for Matrix accreditation: leadership and management; resources; service delivery; and continual quality improvement.
He continued: “The Matrix Quality Standard highlights the consistently high standard of the support services that the College provides for all our students and we are delighted that our accreditation has been renewed. Since 2015 when we were awarded the Matrix Standard for Careers Advice and Guidance, we have continued to develop new services offering additional support where needed in response to demand.”
The assessment report highlighted key strengths of the College’s Student Support services during the pandemic, including: the support available when classes when online; improved access to digital services; continued availability of support through MS Teams, telephone, email chat and website; and being able to host key events and activities virtually.
When Northern Regional College first achieved the Matrix Standard in 2015, the focus was on Careers Advice and Guidance but the Matrix assessment has since been extended to include the full range of student support services across the key areas of Education Support, Student Finance, Careers, Libraries, Student Engagement, and Health & Well-being.