Get involved in College Awareness Week 2018!
Posted on: 15 November 2018
All schools, colleges and community groups are being encouraged to get involved in College Awareness Week (CAW) which starts next week.
Launched by Minister of State for Higher Education, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, TD, at Croke Park’s spectacular Skyline tour, CAW focuses on raising awareness of further educational opportunities amongst those who do not come from a tradition of participation, and who are under-represented in further education.
Caitríona Ryan, Head of Access Policy in the Higher Education Authority is urging people to get involved. “There are currently over 500 events registered on the CAW website, and more importantly, every county will now host one or more events. These range from ITs, representative groups, schools, colleges and community groups. The benefits of information sharing cannot be underestimated, and we believe that the more events there are this year, the more this will translate into further and third level education in groups that are so often underrepresented.”
The campaign is supported by official sponsor, Perrigo, and a range of education-based organisations such as SOLAS, the Higher Education Authority, the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals and Trinity College Dublin.
The launch this year emphasises CAW’s commitment to inspiring and informing the next generation of students in both the third level sector and the further education and training (FET) sector, which offers apprenticeships, traineeships, Post Leaving Cert (PLC) courses, community and adult education and literacy services.
Speaking ahead of CAW next week, Minister of State, Mary Mitchell O’Connor said, “I am encouraging all schools, colleges and community groups to go to the College Awareness Week website and register their event. Now in its fifth year, we have first handedly seen the enormous benefits that this campaign has for those who may not be fully aware of the range of options they have. It is vital that as a society, that everyone involved in education, from Universities to community groups, reaches out to all who may be considering their future education and arms them with the information, encouraging them to explore their options. I hope that by me championing the initiative and the organisers, that I am encouraging as many people as possible to get involved in College Awareness Week.”
This year sees the establishment of the Community Mentoring Programme, a collaboration between IADT, Marino Institute for Education, NCAD, TCD and UCD. 250 Community Mentors have been recruited and provided with the necessary resources and skills, during a day-long training Mentor Summit in Trinity College Dublin, which took place in October.
These mentors, who have access to an online toolkit, are now an incredibly valuable community resource, who are sharing information and advice about their college experience, as a way to help prospective students build their awareness of college courses, how to apply, and the benefits of a college education. These mentors will be placed across DEIS schools, FET and adult and community education centres across Dublin city, where they will educate and motivate under-represented groups, in third level education such as first-time mature students, students with a disability, students from the Irish travelling community, lone parents and socio-economically under-represented students.
Ireland’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate now stands at 5.6%, the lowest jobless rate in over a decade. However, despite our growing economy there remains pockets which are not benefitting from this positive growth. A third of those unemployed are long-term unemployed, while our rate of youth unemployment is still twice the national average at almost 13%. Encouraging these groups, in particular, into higher education, as well as further education and training, will ensure marginalised groups have the opportunity to achieve their full potential and the skills and training support them in the workforce. .
CAW is a multi-organisational and collaborative campaign which invites communities across Ireland to host events in schools, afterschool programmes, Colleges of Further and Higher education, training centres, libraries and businesses, among others.
College Awareness Week takes place nationwide from 19-24 November 2018.
For more information visit www.collegeaware.ie