South West College (SWC) is delighted to launch a brand-new Career Builder programme, which is a unique employability and career preparation initiative to help post-16 learners develop professional skills along with their BTEC Extended Diploma (which is the equivalent to 3 A-Levels.)

Nowadays, employers are looking for more than just a qualification. They want candidates who can hit the ground running and add instant value to their business. In response to industry demand, South West College has developed a new suite of Career Builder programmes at Level 3, which gives learners a qualification in their chosen subject plus a qualification showing their industry skills and experience alongside a raft of activities, aiming to help learners progress and get the job they want.

As part of the programme, post-16 learners will gain a Diploma in Industry Skills qualification and wide experience in work and work-based projects, including 1-2-1 industry mentoring and site visits. Students will also have the opportunity to participate in industry master classes, CV and interview prep; skills boot camps and skills competitions to ensure students will finish College with the qualifications, skills and experience needed to gain and succeed in employment.

The South West College Career Builder course enhancement programme, is now enrolling across all four campuses for September 2022 start and is available on the following courses; the Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Information Technology, Engineering, Construction and the Built Environment and Health & Social Care.

“Our employer partners consistently tell us that these skills are critical in preparing learners to thrive in their careers, and we are delighted to give learners the opportunity to develop these valuable skills through real-world project and industry collaboration.”

Padraig Mc Namee
Head of Faculty, Automotive, Computing and Engineering

Current student Gavin Beacom studying on the Level 3 Extended Diploma in IT, says he has really benefitted from this more dynamic approach to learning.

He said: “Overall, I have enjoyed the course's project-based learning aspect. The opportunity to work on real-life projects and challenges developed by our client Allstate has provided me with a more profound knowledge, which has built up my confidence and allowed me to develop more skills for the future, in line with what employers are looking for.”

South West College, Level 3 Extended Diploma in IT students celebrating the completion of their project based learning module alongside Aine Mc Namee, Allstate.

Aine Mc Namee, Business Analyst for Allstate, (pictured front left) which is Northern Ireland’s largest IT Company, said:

“As a client, we have enjoyed working with the College and the students via project-based learning and active exploration. It has been great to see the students grow in confidence, and the standard of work compared to the beginning of the project has been phenomenal. As a result, the students now have a better understanding of real-world projects and have developed their confidence and skillset making them more industry-ready.”

For further information on our Career Builder Programme, follow South West College on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or to apply, please visit www.swc.ac.uk/courses

Career Builder Programme