Pathways to Business

About the Pathways to Business Programme

Pathways to Business is a response to recent research highlighting the fact that access to the established graduate professions continues to be dominated by students from higher socio-economic groups. Pathways to Business is a joint collaboration between the Trinity Business School and Trinity Access, focused on providing financial, academic and career supports to current Trinity Access business undergraduates and encouraging secondary-school students from underrepresented areas to pursue general business careers

Vision and aims

Pathways to Business focuses on increasing the levels of participation from disadvantaged groups, providing additional supports for their progression throughout their undergraduate careers, and maintaining contact with them as alumni for the promotion of the programme to further waves of participants.

Participation

The participation stream of pathways to Business expands efforts to promote business as an achievable option for second-level students from disadvantaged backgrounds. This is achieved by encouraging mentors from our undergraduate population for prospective students, sponsoring additional tuition in areas where there are skill gaps that may discourage future students, and by a Business Studies module to the Trinity Access Summer School and Foundation Course.

Progression

Pathways to Business has developed a range of post-entry supports for Trinity Access students studying Business at undergraduate level. These supports will include bursaries to reduce the need for students to work part-time to fund their studies, additional academic tuition where needed, personal support and coaching as required, and assistance with networking to widen their career options.

Promotion

Pathways to Business maintains relationships with our Business graduates as they pursue their careers. Being able to draw on these as role models helps to encourage higher levels of participation and will motivate existing undergraduate students to maintain the focus required for successful Progression.

How you can help

Over the coming years we plan to enable more students from under-represented groups to fulfil their potential by:

1. Doubling the number of undergraduate students from under-represented backgrounds.
2. Providing more extensive bursaries to these students to support them in undergraduate journeys.
3. Providing additional academic supports to these students in targeted areas of need.
4. Extending the programme to similar supports at postgraduate level.

Becoming a Pathways to Business supporter is a direct investment in people who face obstacles to fulfilling their potential. If you would like to make a financial gift to support Pathways to Business and our students, you can do so here.

Pathways to Business - Industry Partners:

We would be delighted to discuss how Pathways to Business can align with and support your company’s Corporate Social Responsibility values. We welcome all supports that companies may be in a position to provide – financial or otherwise – to promote higher levels of inclusion in education and business.

To begin this discussion or for further information please contact:
PathwaysToBusiness@tcd.ie.