Twenty-six students from South Eastern Regional College have returned from a two-week placement in South Africa, funded by the UK Government’s Turing Scheme.

The group, drawn from construction, early years and computing courses at SERC’s Bangor, Downpatrick and Lisburn campuses, travelled to Durban from 4 to 18 June. They were hosted by the KwaZulu Natal Community Project.

Construction students contributed to a community project, helping to build a toilet block for wildlife rangers and learning how climate conditions affect building materials. Early years students shadowed local professionals and led creative learning activities with disadvantaged young children.

All participants took part in wildlife education sessions, including anti-poaching talks, birding and tracking exercises, and a visit to Project Rhino, where they supported a school programme about conservation. They also visited a snake farm to see how venom is extracted for use in vaccines.

Rebecca Cash, a 19-year-old construction student from Saintfield, said visiting a creche for young children was a highlight. She added that social activities and meeting students from other campuses were memorable parts of the trip.

Donna O’Loughlin, associate lecturer in IT at SERC, said the experience helped students develop confidence, cultural awareness and practical skills. She added that the Turing Scheme made the trip possible and that it would have a lasting impact on the participants’ personal and professional growth.