Fermanagh and Tyrone students have had unprecedented good news this week as South West College has secured an additional 40 new Higher Education places in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects for this academic year. This increase has been given to the College in light of its persistent success over the last seven years at recruitment and delivery of high quality Foundation Degrees in association with Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Ulster.
This increase in capacity, which takes immediate effect, will provide some relief for students on the waiting list for these highly sought-after higher education courses, and also provide a new opportunity to students that have not yet decided on their educational journey. The Foundation Degrees on offer are all industry related, key to potential employability in the future, Sustainable Construction, Architectural Technology with Sustainable Design, Building Services and Renewable Energy and Civil Engineering with Transport. The College is delighted to announce a Scholarship scheme for 20 students on these courses in conjunction with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB).
South West College continually strives to provide local higher education courses to the people of the South West region to afford students the opportunity to work around family and work commitments, and overcome the increasing obstacles of financial pressures. This local approach to higher education gives students access to the state-of-the-art facilities at the Cookstown, Dungannon, Enniskillen and Omagh campuses and provides them with a supportive learning environment through smaller class sizes and an extensive Student Support service.
South West College Head of Curriculum and Business Development, Michael McAlister, said the announcement of increased student places further solidifies the College’s position as a leading provider of STEM Courses:
“Earlier in summer 2013, the College increased it's higher education places by 25% and this week’s announcement underlines our position in being able to offer flexible, affordable higher education courses in a supportive learning environment."
“The affordability of a near-to-home university education is an obvious benefit for financially hard pressed students and parents. It is another good news story for the local community and complements our other recent achievements and investments that boost skills and employment options.
“We are still keen to hear from students particularly those that previously thought they were too late to apply. Our dedicated team of lecturers are on hand to assist with any queries.”
He added, “The Department for Employment & Learning has been extremely supportive to the College’s drive to further develop higher education provision for the people of the South West region, this demonstrates a great confidence in the quality of delivery provided at the College.”
Students are advised that they should contact the College as soon as possible if they are interested in applying. Due to the limited increase it is anticipated that places will fill up extremely fast.
The following courses are available at South West College:
Foundation Degree in Sustainable Construction
Foundation Degree in Civil Engineering & Transport
Foundation Degree in Architectural Technology and Sustainable Design
Foundation Degree in Building Services and Renewable Energy
Foundation Degree in Engineering (with specialisms)
Foundation Degree in Contemporary Design and Manufacturing
Foundation Degree in Applied & Medical Science
Foundation Degree in Computing
Foundation Degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management
Foundation Degree in Business Services Management
Foundation Degree in Financial Services
For more information on the courses available at South West College please call 0845 603 1881 or visit www.swc.ac.uk.