University College Isle of Man Open Evening announced

Potential students and their family and friends are invited to visit University College Isle of Man (UCM)’s main campus at Homefield Road, Douglas during the annual UCM Open Evening to meet with experienced tutors and staff, and learn more about the courses available at UCM.

UCM provides over 300 further education courses for a wide range of students, including school leavers to apprentices and those wanting to retrain and widen their skills. Subjects include: Art, Design, Media & Music; Access to Education, Business Administration & IT, Childcare, Construction, Computing, Engineering, Hairdressing & Beauty Therapy, Health & Social Care, Hospitality & Catering, Life & Work Skills and Sport.

UCM has recently offered a variety of new short courses for adults (18+) who are considering upskilling or reskilling; subjects covered include: coding, practical cleaning skills, adult social care, mental health awareness and groundwork. These courses have been developed to provide training and educational opportunities for Island residents, as part of the Economic Recovery Programme.

Jo Pretty, Principal of UCM commented, “We are pleased to be able to offer these new courses to support Island residents. Covid-19 has had an impact upon numerous businesses and individuals on the Island. We believe that relevant education and training can support the Isle of Man’s economic stability during these times, by helping to develop the appropriate skills required to support local businesses, which, at the same time, can transform people’s lives by assisting them to achieve their job aspirations.”

This annual event is now in its fifth year, and has proved to be a useful and informative event for prospective students.

Jo Richardson, Vice Principal of UCM explained, “The Open Evening gives the public the opportunity not only to see what courses are available at UCM, but also to talk to our teaching and support staff who are on hand to offer information, advice and guidance about not only a subject area, but also future careers.”

“Potential students can also experience for themselves some of the ways learning is offered at UCM through demonstrations and activities, including science experiments, robotics, programming, cookery, bricklaying, plumbing, hairdressing, reflexology and much more,” she added.

Visitors can take the opportunity to tour UCM’s impressive facilities including the purpose-built construction and engineering workshops, IT and cybersecurity labs, refurbished creative arts studios, kitchens and bakery and talk to tutors about our courses.

UCM also has several ‘realistic working environments’ (RWE) which are learning spaces that replicate workplace settings: the Annie Gill Café, Cristory’s Restaurant, Synnova Hair & Beauty Salon and Little Explorers Nursery.

There will be two talks which will be repeated throughout the event: Upskilling Vs Reskilling, presented by Jo Richardson, Vice Principal of UCM; and Apprenticeships for the Modern World, presented by Geoff Chatwood, Vice Principal of UCM. 

Dental practitioners from across the island have also been invited to attend the Open Evening to gauge their interest and demand for a new Level 3 Diploma in Dental Nursing course soon to be offered at UCM.

UCM Open Evening will take place on Thursday 19th November 2020, from 4pm to 7pm at UCM Main Campus at Homefield Road. For more information and to register for this event, visit www.ucmopenevening2019.eventbrite.com

There will be a speed interview evening for the Digital Apprenticeship Scheme which will involve potential apprentices meeting with a number of companies.  This is hosted by Lorna Trevethan from PDMS, if you are interested in being part of this event, either as an employer or as a candidate, please get in touch with Lorna Trevethan at lorna.trevethan@pdms.com.