When you embark on your educational journey with us, we will make sure you never lose sight of your end goal: preparing for your chosen career!
Our vocational curriculum delivers highly relevant courses which blend academic study and professional practice. You can develop the skills, knowledge and network of contacts to make sure graduation is just the beginning of a fulfilling and rewarding career.
Across all faculties, the College has healthy links with a wide variety of prestigious companies from Sony, Apple and Nikon to the NSPCC, Mencap and Microsoft – and all contribute to the production of our exciting live project briefs and competitions.
Expert training
The College is an Apple Certified Training Centre for Education (AATCe), which empowers us to deliver high-quality training and certification in key software applications used by professionals.
We were also the first official Nikon Academy in the UK, which highlights our commitment to photography and our students. Benefits include seminars for students where Nikon’s own experts will be available to deliver information and demonstrations of the new hardware.
Our innovative three-year Social Care programme is accredited by the General Social Care Council (GSCC) and, at validation of the degree, the GSCC representative and validation panel members congratulated us on the quality and indicated that the programme reflected the GSCC’s views of modern social work practice.
Indeed, the Faculty of Health, Care and Public Services has formed partnerships with the NSPCC, MENCAP, Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, Thurrock and Essex councils, Rethink, Southend Manic Depressive Fellowship, and individual service users, who continue to play a crucial role in overseeing the quality and development of their programmes.
Business
Our Business lecturing team have significant commercial and professional experience as well as connections with companies in the region. This helps set up live projects and case studies based on successful companies, to give you a sense of the type of challenges that actual businesses face and prepare you for the business world.
Computing
A strong theme of the Network Technology degree is the embedding of the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) programme into the course modules. You may register with the Cisco Academy and gain certification for each element the CCNA course. This enables graduates to take up jobs equipped with current industry knowledge which they can practically implement.
Sport
A regular roster of sporting personnel visit the college to speak to our higher education students including Sport Essex, the official body for sport in Essex and is recognised by Sport England and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Sport Essex are dedicated to ensuring anyone interested in sport will achieve to their highest potential. Our sports students have also benefited from talks from the likes of physiologists, rehabilitation therapists, coaches and sports development officer and personal fitness instructors.
Guest speakers and master classes
As well being taught by industry experienced lecturers, we also want you to listen and learn from current active professionals, therefore, we consistently have a packed roster of guest speakers as well as master classes. A few recent visiting professionals have included:
- Phil Dale – lead animator on Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride
- BAFTA/OSCAR winner Mike Milne, Director of Computer Animation Framestore and BAFTA/OSCAR
Nominated Barry Purves, Director/Producer/Animator
- John Ronson – investigative journalist
- Teddy Sheringham – former England and Manchester United footballer
- Danny Crates – Paralympic record holder
- Sport Essex personnel
- Katie Cuddon - Sainsbury Scholar in Sculpture and Drawing at The British School
at Rome
- Lee Lennox – music video director
- Mick Cooper – Director of the Masters in Counselling
- Marcie Begleiter – LA-based storyboard artist and art director
- Sir Teddy Taylor, former Conservative Member of Parliament
- E.ON regarding renewable energy sources
- Marketing expert from L’Oreal
- Local awarding-winning entrepreneur Simon Swords
On location
Media and Creative Arts students can expect to make the most of our close proximity to London to visit animation production studios such as Sky, Universal, Pirate and various other exhibitions. We will also encourage you to attend national animation festivals in Bradford and Norwich.
Computer Games Design students will have the opportunity to visit the International Games Convention in Tokyo to find out about the latest developments in the gaming industry and meet the professionals you will be striving to emulate.
A taste of the workplace
The Network Technology degree provides an industry-based project offering you experience of networking in action. Previous students have been placed with organisations such as Lloyds TSB, FMI Solutions and Entuity. Such placements regularly lead to offers of permanent employment.
Early Years students will even spend one day a week in a work-placement setting, putting theory into practice.
Interior Design students have taken up work placements with companies such as KSS Design Group, DEGW design consultancy, Zebra, Fletcher Priest architects amongst others. During the course, students have undertaken work experience at BBC Radio Essex, BBC Radio Suffolk, The Independent, IPC magazines, Reuters, FHM magazine and The Evening Echo amongst others.
South Essex College is partner institute of the Film and Digital Media exchange (FDMX), which offers skills development, training, careers help, networking and research. We are also affiliated with the Association of Photographers.
‘Live’ projects
Those studying Art and Design will benefit from an exciting programme of live briefs wherein high level companies such as NBC and Universal participate in setting the project and assessing your work. We also involve the local community in live projects across the region including local museums, galleries and voluntary organisations.