Jack Hannon, 17, from Dunmurry, began a Level 2 Traineeship in Retail at South Eastern Regional College after finishing his GCSEs at St Colm’s.

The course runs at the college’s Lisburn Campus, where Hannon is in his second year.

One day each week he works at Action Cancer in Lisburn, where his duties include restocking shelves, sorting donations, operating the till and answering customer enquiries.

Classroom work covers different retail formats, with current topics including chilled goods handling, merchandising, window displays and health and safety.

Hannon also studies Essential Skills numeracy and said the placement and course activities reinforce each other.

He has participated in student fairs at Lisburn Campus, helping to plan and run a stall that sold Action Cancer items to raise funds.

After completing the traineeship, Hannon plans to pursue further practical training in a trade.

The college is accepting applications for courses starting in September 2026 and will hold open evenings on 4 June 2026 at its Bangor, Downpatrick, Lisburn and Newtownards sites.