SERC Return to Learning Open Day - Newcastle Campus

South Eastern Regional College holds a Return to Learning Open Day at its Newcastle campus on Wednesday, 19 August 2026, from 10am to 2pm. The drop-in event is aimed at adults considering going back into education, whether that means a first qualification, a career change, or simply picking up a new skill, and gives visitors the chance to talk directly to course tutors and student support staff before the new term starts.

What to expect

Return to Learning Open Days are informal and drop-in rather than ticketed: prospective students can arrive at any point across the four hours and are not expected to have decided on a course in advance. Staff on hand can talk through the college’s part-time and full-time options at the Newcastle campus, explain entry requirements, and point people toward funding and childcare support where it applies, which matters for anyone weighing up a return to study alongside work or family commitments. The event forms part of SERC’s wider enrolment season, which runs alongside similar open days and enrolment evenings at the college’s other County Down campuses in Bangor, Downpatrick, Newtownards and Lisburn through August 2026. There is no cost to attend and no need to book ahead, and staff say people are welcome to just call in on the day.

Getting there

SERC’s Newcastle campus sits in the town, within walking distance of the seafront and the main Central Promenade shops. Newcastle is well served by Translink Goldliner coach services from Belfast and by local buses from Downpatrick and Newry, and there is public parking in the town centre nearby.

While you’re in Newcastle

Newcastle sits where the Mourne Mountains meet the sea, the town’s promenade looking straight up at Slieve Donard, Northern Ireland’s highest peak. There is more to see in Newcastle and across Co. Down.

Good to know

• Date: Wednesday, 19 August 2026, 10am to 2pm
• Venue: SERC Newcastle campus
• Free, drop-in, no booking required
• Part of SERC’s wider August enrolment season across its County Down campuses
• Ask about part-time evening courses, full-time programmes, and funding support