Seven students join Choice Housing for year-long placements with chance to win final-year tuition fees
Pictured are Choice Placement Students; Kelsi Powell, Sadie Logan, Emma Service, Riona McAuley, Sara Donnelly, Fintan Gallagher and Declan Oliver.
Saturday 17 October 2026
Seven university students from across Northern Ireland and beyond have begun year-long placements with Choice Housing, gaining paid professional experience and the opportunity to compete for an award covering their final-year university tuition fees.
The 2026/27 intake includes students from Kilrea, Ballycastle, Limavady, Newry and Donegal, alongside others studying at Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University.
The placements offer practical experience across several areas of the social housing organisation, including information technology, marketing, human resources, finance, sustainability and property management.
Learning beyond the classroom
Choice Housing's Student Placement Scheme combines competitive salaries, flexible working arrangements and dedicated mentoring from senior colleagues, allowing students to develop professional skills while exploring potential career paths.
The programme also provides an opportunity to understand how different departments contribute to the delivery and management of social housing.
Lawrence Jackson, Group Director of Corporate Services at Choice, said:
“Welcoming our new cohort is always an exciting time for Choice. We benefit immensely from the fresh perspectives offered by those at the beginning of their careers.
“Since launching the programme, we have seen how vital practical experience is for students exploring career options alongside their studies.
“The initiative provides valuable exposure across a range of key disciplines, and we look forward to supporting each of these seven students as they develop both personally and professionally over the coming year,” he added.
Meet the seven placement students
The students joining Choice Housing for the 2026/27 academic year are:
• Declan Oliver (Kilrea) – Studying BSc (Hons) Information Technologies at Ulster University's Magee campus. He has joined the ICT department to gain experience in service delivery while developing his technical and communication skills.
• Sara Donnelly – Studying Communication Management and Public Relations at Ulster University Belfast. She is working with the Marketing and Communications team, engaging with tenants and external stakeholders.
• Sadie Logan (Donegal) – A Business Management student at Queen’s University Belfast, gaining practical experience and developing new skills within the HR team.
• Riona McAuley (Ballycastle) – Studying Global Business with Accountancy at Ulster University. She has joined Choice's Finance team.
• Fintan Gallagher (Derry/Londonderry) – Studying BSc (Hons) Accounting with Computing at Ulster University. He is also undertaking his placement within the Finance team.
• Kelsi Powell (Newry) – An Environmental Management student at Queen’s University Belfast, working with Choice's Energy and Sustainability team.
• Emma Service (Limavady) – Studying Building Surveying at Ulster University Belfast. She is developing practical skills within the Property Assets team.
Opportunity to win university tuition fees
Alongside their professional placements, the seven students will have the opportunity to participate in Choice Housing's end-of-year placement competition.
The competition challenges participants to develop a business strategy proposal, with the winning student receiving an award covering their full final-year university tuition fees.
The award was introduced in 2020 in memory of former Choice colleague Brian McKenna, adding a further opportunity for students to benefit from their time with the organisation.
Last year's Scholarship Challenge was won by Business Management student Connie Woods, who completed her placement with Choice's Communications and Marketing team.
Her winning proposal centred on a video-first digital strategy, incorporating an online audit, market analysis and a complete delivery model.
For the latest group, the coming year offers both a first-hand introduction to working in the social housing sector and the chance to develop ideas that could help shape the organisation's future approach.
