Realising Equality of Opportunity in Higher Education The Contribution of Ireland s Institutes of Technology

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1 Realising Equality of Opportunity in Higher Education The Contribution of Ireland s Institutes of Technology The European Social Fund Celebrating 60 Years of Investing in People, Dublin 28 November 2017 Jim Murray, THEA

2 The Technological Sector: Institutes of Technology in Context The 14 Institutes of Technology are flexible, dynamic, publicly-funded, third level institutions Focused on teaching and learning, purpose-driven research, and economic, social and cultural engagement Uniquely, they allow students to progress from two year short-cycle (Higher Certificate) programmes and apprenticeships through primary degree to Masters and PhD awards Account for some 40.5 % of total higher education enrolments (90,150 in ) THEA is their representative and advocacy body

3 Institutes of Technology and equality of opportunity in Irish higher education The 14 Institutes have a long, and distinguished record in providing access to higher education to traditionally excluded groups Higher education access has been at the heart of their missions since their establishment as Regional Technical Colleges in the 1970s Has been constantly articulated as they have evolved from RTCs to Institutes of Technology, and as they contemplate a future as Technological Universities Functions of a Technological University includes the provision to: promote access to the technological university and the education it provides, by economically or socially disadvantaged persons, by persons who have a disability and by persons from sections of society in the region in which the campuses of the technological university are located who are significantly under-represented in its student body Technological Universities Bill

4 National Vision for Equality of Opportunity

5 Priority Goals of the National Access Plan

6 Delivering Equality of Opportunity on the Ground Traditional Strengths of Technological Sector Regional Reach and provision of close-to-home First in Family Access Mainstreaming Opportunity Ladder System and Flexible Pathways Areas under development Addressing issues around noncompletion, especially at Levels 6 and 7 Compilation and analysis of statistics and other data to inform strategy and performance, including in relation to access

7 Regional Reach of 14 Institutes of Technology Athlone Blanchardstown Carlow Cork Dublin Dundalk Dun Laoghaire Galway - Mayo Letterkenny Limerick Sligo Tallaght Tralee Waterford

8 Opportunity close to home Institutes provide access and opportunity to disadvantaged groups that are traditionally low mobile First in family students venturing into HE tend to choose colleges close to home both for cost and socialisation reasons In 2014, for example, the average % acceptance rate by students of places within an institute in their own county was 47%; in relation to the home province it was 77%. On average, 61% of these new entrants to IoTs receive some form of student support grant, as against 41 % of new entrants to university in some localities, e.g. Donegal, the % number of students on a grant is higher CAO Net Acceptances 2014 in IoTs by Home County and Home Province of Applicants Institution Overall Net Acceptances % of students from home county Athlone IT 1,243 24% 63% IT Blanchardstown % 94% IT Carlow 1,220 17% 87% Cork IT 2,294 74% 93% Dundalk IT 1,216 43% 77% Dun Laoghaire IADT % 84% Galway-Mayo IT 1,999 38% 65% Letterkenny IT % 73% Limerick IT 1,683 36% 78% IT Sligo 1,155 25% 58% IT Tallaght % 98% IT Tralee % 80% Waterford IT 1,985 30% 51% % of students from home province

9 Mainstreaming Opportunity for non-traditional students Mainstreaming embedded in admission policies of the institutes Non-manual, Semi and Unskilled Socio Economic Backgrounds 31% Leaving Certificate not the only route Between 2010 and 2014 the sectoral average for net acceptances on programmes across Level 6-8 from the yearly Leaving Certificate cohorts of those years was just 48.2% 51.8% of students come in through non-traditional routes, entering with FE qualifications through mature entry arrangements or previous LC achievement Flexible Learning Enrolments 22% New Entrants Profile 2014 Entrants with disability Mature Students 18% 7%

10 Non-traditional routes: % of new entrants in IoT sector from Leaving Cert Cohort of Year of Entry results only versus overall net acceptances Institution % 2010 % 2011 % 2012 % 2013 % 2014 Athlone IT 41% 50% 60% 54% 50% IT Blanchardstown 36% 32% 41% 46% 49% IT Carlow 41% 42% 41% 44% 45% Cork IT 65% 64% 64% 68% 69% DIT 58% 58% 60% 60% 62% Dundalk IT 44% 46% 41% 44% 47% Dun Laoghaire 40% 49% 46% 44% 44% IADT Galway-Mayo IT 42% 52% 48% 50% 56% Letterkenny IT 50% 54% 45% 44% 47% Limerick IT 36% 36% 35% 40% 35% IT Sligo 47% 48% 39% 44% 44% IT Tallaght 63% 59% 55% 53% 56% IT Tralee 43% 41% 36% 43% 38% Waterford IT 45% 53% 47% 50% 51% Sectoral Average 46.5% 49% 47% 49% 49.5%

11 Ladder System and Flexible Pathways Ladder system, with inbuilt progression opportunities, a traditional feature of education in the IoTs - from Apprenticeship to Doctoral Degree Offer a structure to prospective learners, that builds the confidence and capability of learners progressively Embedded in the NFQ Strong links to FET system Developing further with new apprenticeships spanning higher education levels

12 Key Challenge Facing Technological Sector Tension between offering higher education learning opportunities and achieving/guaranteeing student success Non-completion/Retention an important issue, especially at Levels 6 and 7, where there is c. 26% non-completion on average Complex issue: many causes put forward, though none definitive Inadequate prior-educational attainment; financial/personal/family problems; insufficient funding supports; wrong choice of courses and more besides Key question: Is 26% non-completion a failure, or is 74% completion a success in terms of providing equal opportunity to prospective learners? Answer dependent on who provides it. Requires research and action from the sector Future work for THEA and its members Aim to look at ways of de-risking the first year experience under the Transitions Reform process Aim to undertake a longitudinal study on Level 6/7 retention issues as an element of the Student Success Project under the National Access Plan Research and data analysis key to understanding and addressing this fundamental tension

13 Thank You!