‘Ripples of Hope’ – The Family and Community Impact of Trinity College Dublin Access Graduates

Posted on: 11 April 2013

Twenty Years On Trinity Access Programmes Impact Positively on Graduates’ Families − New Report Shows

A new report launched today (April 11th) marks the 20th anniversary of Trinity Access Programmes (TAP) at Trinity College Dublin. It shows the positive impact within the family when the first generation participates in third level education.  

‘Ripples of Hope – The Family and Community impact of Trinity College Dublin Access graduates’, by Dr Michelle Share and Carmel Carroll published by the Children’s Research Centre on behalf of the Trinity Access Programmes (TAP) was launched today by the Minister for Education & Skills, Ruairi Quinn.

Commenting on its significance, Minister Quinn said:  “TAP has played a significant role in national access policy in working across the education sector, and with families and communities, to widen participation in higher education. Today’s report is a testament to how effective the access programmes have been over the past twenty years in the graduates’ pathway to Trinity, their experience there, and  the life changing experience  it has been.” 

TAP focuses on increasing the proportion of students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds progressing to higher education. The new report demonstrates the ‘ripple effect’ that occurs within the family: Trinity College TAP graduates who are parents transmit to their children knowledge about the education system and how to access and succeed within it. They also affirm that their parental involvement in and aspirations for their children’s education is high. The graduates are also noted as an asset within their own communities, as students who have completed the TAP Foundation Courses tend to remain within their communities of origin. 

Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Dr Patrick Geoghegan TAP alumni: Siobhan O’Brien, Sean O’Reilly & Lyndsey Johnson,  Minister Quinn, TAP alumnus, Gary Honer, TAP director, Cliona Hannon & TAP alumnus Dr Paul O’Connell

The research was based on a survey of 137 Trinity TAP graduates and interviews with over thirty individuals and families. The majority of Trinity TAP graduates come from areas of Dublin that are under-represented in higher education. The main suburbs represented were Tallaght, Walkinstown, Ballyfermot and Cabra. Seventy-five per cent of TAP Trinity graduates were the first in their family to attend Trinity and 38% reported their mother’s highest level of education as primary. Seventy-seven percent of graduates who have children stated their involvement in their children’s education was ‘much greater’ than their own parents’ involvement in their schooling. The vast majority (86%) think it is likely their children will attend third level education. Just over two thirds (70%) of the graduates remained living in the same area as during their time as Trinity undergraduates.  Eighty-four per cent of Trinity TAP graduates considered themselves role models to others in the family or community seeking to progress to higher education. 

“This report shows that TAP Trinity students bring with them their own strengths that enable them to respond to the challenges of higher education. For example, one student reflects on how her school did not have the teachers or facilities for Leaving Certificate chemistry, but she went ahead and taught herself. Another felt that because they had family commitments and/or part-time work that they had to be more focused. This was a benefit when it came to working in groups with other non-access students as they usually demonstrated organisational and leadership skills.  They have high levels of resilience, motivation and flexibility and these are a real asset to Trinity, to their communities and to future employers,” Cliona Hannon, Director of TAP said on the occasion of the launch of the report.

The majority of TAP graduates entered Trinity College with lower than usual Leaving Certificate points, going directly into first year or completing the TAP foundation course (pre-university one-year course).  Many mature students on the foundation course had not completed the Leaving Certificate. The majority of Trinity TAP graduates were employed in traditional higher or lower professional roles, with those who had completed the TAP foundation course for young adults most likely to be employed (83%). The majority of participants had achieved a second class honours division one degree (2.1).

Trinity TAP graduate Siobhan O’Brien commented:“I have seen a ‘ripple effect’ in my own family. I fall in the middle of a family of six and was the first to go to University; which I accessed via the TAP Foundation Course for young adults.  Being given the opportunity to access third level education did not just benefit me directly, but impacted hugely on my immediate family. My older sisters both returned to third level education as mature students via the TAP programme. The younger members of my family began to talk about what they would study after they had completed their Leaving Certificate. It has become part of a new and very important family tradition. ”

Despite their academic achievements, most graduates separated their home and college lives while retaining friendships from home and community. They commented on the difficulty of integrating within very large scale, first year classes and of their worries around the increasing cost of progression to higher education.  The recent withdrawal of state financial support for postgraduate study also emerged as a key concern. Recent graduates noted the importance of building up experience, networks and transferable skills through their time in college to be better prepared for the transition to the labour market and mature students noted that information in terms of careers advice and study opportunities are geared to younger and traditional Trinity graduates.  However, for most students the experience of accessing higher education had been viewed as part of a transformative educational process rather than solely for the purposes of gaining employment.

Over the last twenty years, TAP has enjoyed significant growth through its student numbers, graduates, programmes and partners. TAP aims to continue this growth into the next period, aiming for 2,020 TAP graduates by 2020.  In the 2003-13 period:

– 1,300 TAP students have come through TCD (600

graduates and 700 undergraduates)

– 7,500 students progressed to higher education from TAP

link second level schools

– 19% of the TCD student body are now from ‘under-represented

groups’

Each TAP student creates a ‘ripple’ effect in their own family and community, acting as powerful role models and inspiring others to achieve.

For more information, see www.tcd.ie/Trinity_Access