Bright Spark Anna says NWRC’s Open Day helped her discover new career

An 18 year-old student who swapped her plans to become a nurse to study a traineeship in Welding – says she absolutely loves her new career.

Anna McGonigle previously studied A-levels at St Mary’s College in Derry and was inspired to train as a welder after seeing the success of other female welder students at NWRC, including former apprentice and now lecturer Shannon Cartin.

This month, NWRC is running Open Days across its campuses in Strabane, Strand Road, Springtown, Limavady Main Street and Greystone Limavady, where you can find out more about studying a course in September, even if it’s something you never considered studying before.

Anna said: “I looked at a lot of different courses in Springtown Campus and it was the Welding that really appealed to me. I was scared at the beginning because most people think of men when they imagine a welder. The first week was nerve wracking but now I just love it. I would say to anyone thinking about enrolling in September to just go for it. Don’t worry about what anyone else thinks.”

Visitors to the college are encouraged to register online beforehand where they have a chance of winning a high spec Laptop.

Open Days are a fantastic opportunity to discover more about the huge range of full and part-time courses available, while finding out more about the excitement of being a student in the North West.

Members of staff will be on hand to take you through the numerous career options available – and you can see around the college facilities yourself.

Prospective students can also take part in fun activities such as a search of the campus to find a key to win a special prize.

NWRC offers a huge number of courses ranging from Care and Health, Apprenticeships and Traineeships, Art and Design; Administration; Business; Construction and the Built Environment; Engineering; Hospitality and Catering; Media, Multimedia and Journalism; Music; Performing Arts; Science; Sport and Leisure, Travel and Tourism; Computing and I.T., Early Years, Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy, and Adult Learning.

Courses are available for people of all ages aged 16 and over.

You can have a look at our range full and part time courses on our website at nwrc.ac.uk

Open Day, will be held in Strabane ( Tuesday, February 27), Strand Road and Springtown (Wednesday February 28), and Limavady Main Street and Greystone (Thursday, February 29) from 12noon to 8pm each day.

For more information on the NWRC Open Days, please log on to nwrc.ac.uk/opendays where you can register your attendance with a chance to win a Laptop.