Access Policy and Practice
The National Office is working with higher education instuitutions to develop and implement a policy and practice framework for effective access programmes. A central elements of the policy and practice framework include a clear statement of the institution’s access policy and how it relates to the corporate level strategy.
Higher education institutions play a key role in encouraging and supporting access to education through a variety of positive and innovative strategies. The access programmes of third level institutions are targeting students in the first and second level sector, adult learners returning to education, learners with a disability, members of the travelling community and more recently members of new migrant communities.At pre-entry level access programmes focus on working with designated disadvantaged schools. The Access Offices of higher education institutions also co-ordinate a programme of post-entry support for students to ensure that having gained access, these students are retained and supported in achieving their full potential.
Chairman of the HEA, Michael Kelly, Former Minister of Education and Science, Mary Hanafin T.D., Head of the National Access Office, Dr. Mary-Liz Trant and the Chief Executive Officer of the HEA, Tom Boland at the launch of the Review of Funding to Achieve Equity of Access to Higher Education 16 December 2005.
HEA publishes new national plan for equity of access to higher education