Foundation Course Students A Class Act
Posted on: 20 June 2016
The graduation ceremony of 39 students studying on the Trinity Access Programmes (TAP) Foundation Course for Higher Education took place last week. Earlier in the day, two Foundation Course alumni, Emer Glanville and Andre Maseko, (2010/11) graduated as doctors having completed degrees in medicine at Trinity.
Emer, a mother-of-three from Cobh in Co Cork, left school early with no qualifications. Speaking of the Foundation Course she commented: “This course has truly changed my life. I have met many obstacles along the way throughout my degree but the support of the access programme was second-to-none in helping me every step of the way.” Next month Emer takes up a post in Beaumont Hospital.
Andre came to Ireland from South Africa as a child and has been supporting himself throughout his five-year medical degree.
“I did TAP in 2010 and went on to do medicine in Trinity. During my five years in college I have been doing part-time work for a cleaning company. The part-time work and TAP hardship fund and a few bank loans have helped me pay for my accommodation and my college fees which were €8,500 per annum. My plan is to start my new job as a doctor this summer.”
Meanwhile one of those who graduated from this year’s Foundation Course was Dove Curpen, who took the Social Science stream. She achieved an overall grade of a merit and plans to progress onto a degree in Law in Trinity in September. Dove attended Loreto Crumlin, one of the TAP-linked secondary schools and participated in the TAP Pathways to Law Programme whilst in school.
Dove has also secured a summer internship position with Grant Thornton as a result of taking part in their Career Development and Mentoring Programme.
Jamie McDonagh, from Bray in Co Wicklow, worked in retail before starting on the Foundation Course for mature students. He is the first in his extended family to attend higher education and having studied the Social Sciences stream on the course, will graduate with a merit. He plans to progress on to a degree in Social Sciences in Trinity following which he hopes to become a social worker.
The TAP Foundation Course, which has been running for almost 20 years, aims to tackle educational disadvantage, offering another way to third-level education for mature students and young adults whose social, economic and cultural experiences have prevented them from going to college.
The Foundation Course students come from communities in the Greater Dublin area, such as Finglas, Ballymun, Tallaght and Ballyfermot, which have relatively low rates of participation in higher education. Many of the mature students were early school leavers while the young adults come from schools linked to TAP or other access offices and took part in outreach activities while in school.
The 2015/16 cohort of students specialised in one of three subject areas during the Foundation Course: sciences, social sciences or arts. The Foundation Course is full time and very demanding, with small class groups, taught by Trinity tutors who encourage all students to participate fully and challenge themselves.
Since the course began in 1997, 91% of graduates have progressed to degree level studies, and 617 students have progressed to degree courses in Trinity College.
Speaking after the graduation ceremonies, TAP Director Cliona Hannon commented: “The TAP Foundation Course students are just some of the ‘untapped talent’ in many communities nationwide experiencing the corrosive impact of poverty and educational disadvantage. It is extraordinary to think that Emer and Andre were in that very situation just a few years ago and now they will bring all their dedication, life experience, compassion and talent into the medical profession. I thank the students and their families, the course team and Grant Thornton for their tremendous work to achieve these outcomes.”
Key to the success of the TAP Foundation Course is support from Grant Thornton through an innovative career development and mentoring programme. Now in its eighth year, the programme aims to remove some of the barriers students from low-skilled backgrounds can experience in progressing into the professional labour market.
This partnership between Grant Thornton and TAP is a new model in widening participation and creates pathways into the professional world of work for young adults from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Four foundation course students have secured summer internship positions with the company with an additional 11 students securing summer positions as a direct result of taking part in the programme.
Pat Burke, partner in Grant Thornton, commented: “As a knowledge organisation looking to succeed, we at Grant Thornton need the personal ambitions and values of our people to be aligned with those of the organisation. We try to achieve this through excellence, ambition, independent thinking, education and community. Our partnership with the Trinity Access Programme brings these objectives together seamlessly with a win-win-win formula – a win for the organisation, a win for TAP and win for our people.”
